


The Circle Game

by dxbshevd



Series: Little Green and The Circle Game [2]
Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, LGBTQ Female Character, Major Original Character(s), One Shot Collection, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27583844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dxbshevd/pseuds/dxbshevd
Summary: A sequel of sorts to the story "Little Green."  A collection of one-shots over the years following Dani and Jamie as parents to their daughter.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Series: Little Green and The Circle Game [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016275
Comments: 74
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dani’s away for ten days, Jamie and Maggie barely hold down the fort. Horrible cooking and missed school ensues.

**September 2008**

Jamie felt the bed around her shake rapidly and the weight of a small being was hopping excitedly onto her. Little hands shook her shoulders, and she opened her eyes to a squint to see a blonde little girl above her. 

“Mummy! Mummy wake up!” Maggie shouted. 

She mentally reasoned that it was much too early for all of the ruckus, so she groaned and pulled the covers over her head, turning over to face away from her eager daughter above her. She tried to figure out what had launched her into such a bright mood. 

Maggie just plopped onto her side across from Jamie and faced her, her hand pulling the duvet down just below Jamie’s eyes. “Mama’s comin’ home!” she said cheerily with a little emphasis on the end to accentuate the reminder. 

With that cue, Jamie’s eyes popped open, her heart filling up at the realization that her wife was returning. The view of her daughter directly in front of her, big, glistening blue eyes staring back, very obviously excited about the fact her mother was coming back, upturned her lips into a sleepy smile. 

Dani had been away for a week and a half. She had to take the dreaded trip back to Iowa to visit her mother; rather, she was visiting her entire family for a reunion of sorts. She would have wanted nothing more than to not go, but she decided she’d be better off not letting her mother down. Given she was also getting older, Dani took it upon herself to visit her as much as she could. 

After begging Jamie to have her and Maggie come along, she finally understood that it wasn’t possible because of the shop and Maggie’s school. And of course, not that Jamie wanted to cower in the corner, but going to visit Dani’s predominantly conservative family in the middle of Iowa didn’t sound so appealing especially because it wasn’t necessarily the most accepting situation for them. So, she insisted she stay back. 

Dani was very skeptical of the idea of Jamie juggling a seven-year-old, the shop, and the house for a week and a half. Wholeheartedly, it was only a mask for the true apprehension she had which was having to be away from her family for that long. Ten days wasn’t really that long, but the longest they’d been apart for the last twenty years was three days maximum. 

So, she’d continue with the excuses and the playing at Jamie’s abilities as a means to stay. However, Jamie being as stubborn as she was, was persistent about Dani just going and that they’d be fine. So, ever so reluctantly, Dani flew out to Iowa on her own, utterly upset about having to be alone with the Clayton family for so long, people who were practically strangers to her. 

Of course, Dani would call every night to hear Jamie and Maggie’s voices and to, of course, complain about something her mother said, or something just absolutely awful about Iowa, whether it be the fact that it was boring or that the food was downright horrible, which would elicit laughter from Jamie and Maggie. But she’d always end it with the same, “But the most awful thing about Iowa is that it’s missing the both of you.” A sentence that would somehow send the feeling of warmth and love they were yearning for along the many miles between them. 

Jamie would tell Dani all about what she and Maggie were up to, and she hoped Dani couldn’t recognize her very fabricated reassurances that everything was going smoothly, when in fact it wasn’t. She underestimated how hard it would be having Dani away. It was apparent through the oversleeping, takeout every night after nearly burning the kitchen down, and the pure exhaustion she felt at the end of the day from running the shop and raising a kid on her own. She didn’t realize just how much of a team she and Dani really were until one of the links was missing, and it was surely taking its toll. 

In addition to that, to put it bluntly, it was awful not having Dani around for that bit of time. Ten whole days without Dani’s laughter. Ten whole days of an empty left side of the bed. Ten whole days of feeling positively the loneliest she’d ever felt. 

Jamie felt like a fool for being so upset about it because Dani was obviously coming back. But Jamie couldn’t help but feel what she reasonably compared to being abandoned. Waiting so patiently for her lover to return as if she were to be gone an eternity. She vowed to herself that the next time Dani was going anywhere that she was going, no matter what. 

Maggie, on the other hand, was giddy about a whole array of other things that would come back because her mother was returning. Firstly, she wouldn’t have to lie anymore about how good Jamie’s cooking was or have to stand the bedtime stories being cut awfully short by Jamie falling asleep halfway through them– leaving her bed mostly occupied by her mum for most of the night and only having the edge of the bed to her own. Regardless she’d happily cuddle close to her, seemingly forgetting the fact that they’d been on the same chapter of her book for the past six nights. 

She wouldn’t have to suffer through her homework with Jamie frustratedly trying to figure out the math problems in front of her or the quizzical science questions. That was Dani’s job through and through. And she’d be able to resume her tradition of walking into Dani’s classroom– Dani made sure Maggie went to the same school she taught at– to bother her and ask for snacks. She’d found herself walking into the classroom anyway over Dani’s absence, forgetting she was gone, only to be met with the substitute teacher, making for a very awkward moment. 

So, when Maggie woke that morning, realizing how special that very Sunday was, she was jumping from her bed, barging through her parent’s bedroom door, and lunging all of her weight on top of Jamie. Because her mom was coming home. 

Jamie looked at her daughter before her and grinned at the realization that Dani was returning. She checked the time and realized they had an hour or so before they’d have to be at the airport. She reached forward and ruffled the girl’s blonde hair. “So what are we laying here for?” she asked as she stretched out and pulled back the covers. 

“Well, you’re the one who was asleep, not me,” Maggie claimed as she rolled her eyes. She most certainly got that sass from her, there was no denying that. That was all Jamie, and boy was she proud. 

However, she did lunge forward to start tickling her relentlessly as punishment for her playful attitude. The room so suddenly was filled with Maggie’s laughter as she tried wiggling from Jamie’s grasp. With all of her might, she was able to push Jamie away. “Okay, Mum! Okay!” she laughed. 

Jamie took a moment to just smile at her; every time she looked at her, she was in complete awe of how much she looked like Dani. She seemed to look like her more and more each day. The similarities in their smiles were uncanny, both so bright and beautiful. Jamie internally thanked whomever for giving her the chance to be this lucky. To be Maggie’s mother, and to be the wife of such a remarkable woman. Honestly, it was Dani she should have been thanking the more she thought about it.

She kissed the top of Maggie’s head then sat up. “Let’s get some breakfast in ya, Sprout,” she smiled as she stood from the bed, making her way out of the bedroom.

Maggie groaned, knowing that it meant they’d be having eggs again. The only damn thing Jamie knew how to cook without messing up. “Eggs again,” she sighed, slumping her shoulders as she sauntered after her mother to the kitchen. 

Jamie peered over her shoulder and gave her a lighthearted glare. “Hey my eggs are good,” she said. 

Maggie responded with a sarcastic, “Yeah, they really are.”

As they reached the middle of the hallway, Jamie stopped, Maggie nearly running into her in her sunken form. “Say, whoever makes it to the kitchen first can pick what we have for breakfast,” Jamie proposed with a smirk. 

“Deal,” Maggie said as she wound up into a racing position. Maggie looked at her mother as if she were the biggest fool in the world. How could she think she’d ever win a race against the fastest runner in her whole second-grade class?

Jamie mirrored the position and looked down at her daughter, taking forever to say ‘go’ in order to make her antsy. She could see how impatient she was getting through her shaking knees and subtle sighing, only making Jamie chuckle. “Go!” she announced and down the hall and the stairs the both of them went. 

Jamie was getting older; she was fifty as much as she hated to admit it, so she was certain she wasn’t going to win that one. Her longer legs were not going to be the saving grace that morning, especially not against the bundle of energy that was Maggie. So, once the young girl spun around the railing and jumped over the last few stairs, Jamie knew it was over. She had lost. Which only meant one thing. 

Maggie came to a sliding halt on her socks once she reached the kitchen. “Yes! I won! Pop-Tarts!” she yelled in victory. 

Jamie, who was still a couple of yards away, put her hands to her hips and shook her head. “Those are hardly breakfast, Mags,” she sighed, still trying to catch her breath. 

She walked over to the kitchen and watched as Maggie climbed the counter, trying to reach the top cupboard where they kept them. 

Jamie, noticing an accident was waiting to happen with Maggie excitedly trying to reach up, patted her back, prompting her to jump down. “I’ll take care of that, you make the tea.” 

Maggie nodded and turned to grab the kettle and fill it with water, barely tall enough to reach anything on the counter. She put the kettle on the burner to let it boil. 

As Jamie placed the strawberry pastries into the toaster, she discreetly watched Maggie over her shoulder to make sure she was doing it correctly. Jamie was persistent about making sure Maggie knew how to make tea which meant she never allowed Dani to go near her whenever she was making it. There was no way Dani was going to interrupt Jamie’s diligent teaching. Her daughter was going to make a good cup of tea no matter how much training it took. 

Luckily, however, Maggie took to it quickly and proudly did the honors of making the tea every weekend. She truly loved seeing how proud it made Jamie whenever she made a good cup. 

Maggie tried to reach for the teapot but was not tall enough. Jamie turned at the sound of her struggling and reached up to give it to her. She watched over her as she did the rest of the tea preparation. “Atta girl,” she smiled proudly as she smoothed out the top of Maggie’s frizzy hair and placed a kiss on her scalp.

  
  


* * *

At the table, they sat in silence as they ate their breakfast, both consumed by their morning ritual. Maggie was happily eating her Pop-Tarts and drinking her tea, her legs dangling back and forth from the chair. She was engrossed by the cartoons on the TV. 

Jamie was at the opposite end of the table, eating toast and fruit as she despised the pastries her daughter was so fond of, reading through the Sunday paper. 

Once she realized the time, Jamie folded her paper and looked at Maggie. “We have to go soon, Sprout,” she said as she went to stand up. However, Maggie was still too preoccupied with the TV to even acknowledge her mother’s words. “Maggie?” she attempted to no avail. 

Instead, she opted for picking up one of the leftover blueberries on her plate and softly tossing it at Maggie, hitting her right on the shoulder. It caused the girl to jolt to attention and she gave Jamie a playful glare. “Hey!” she said as she looked around for the blueberry that she was sure had fallen to the floor. She spotted it and picked it up, throwing it back at Jamie, hitting her right on the cheek. 

Jamie gasped and shook her head, and once Maggie stuck her tongue out at her, she knew it was war. “That’s it!” she announced with an impish smirk and made her way to Maggie who jumped from her chair with a squeal to avoid her mother’s outstretched hands. 

“No!” she shrieked and was up running to the stairs. Jamie chased her up the stairs, both of them laughing joyfully. A perfect start to their morning. 

* * *

Hand in hand, the pair walked into the airport. Jamie looked around at all of the navigation signs to figure out where Dani would be coming from. 

“There,” Maggie said as she pointed at one of the signs. Jamie’s eyes followed the direction of her finger to confirm.

“Good eye, Mags,” she said as she pulled them towards the large area where they were to wait. It was early enough where the arrivals were fairly empty, and Jamie was thankful for that. She was never too fond of crowds. 

She checked her watch, still another few minutes before she was to arrive and she felt herself getting anxious. The minutes felt like hours, and she was sure it would be an eternity before Dani would be there. 

They sat and waited, both trying to find something to do to occupy their time. The five minutes they were expecting to wait passed quickly. Then it became ten minutes, then fifteen. Now Jamie was getting worried. She kept checking her cell phone to see if Dani had texted her; however, Jamie barely knew how to use the damn thing so she wasn’t even sure what she was looking for if Dani were to have texted her. 

Jamie huffed and felt Maggie lean into her, she looked down as a little hand came to hold hers. “Where’s Mama?” she asked with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. 

Jamie, who had grown equally concerned and annoyed, shrugged. “I don’t know, she’s prob-.” She stopped abruptly in her words as she looked up, immediately recognizing the blonde woman turning the corner, who was looking around for her family. 

“Mama!” Maggie, who had also caught the view of her, exclaimed loudly as she leaped to her feet, running as fast as she could to her. 

Dani’s head whipped to the familiar voice and she grinned, letting go of her luggage in preparation for the little girl running towards her. She opened her arms and lifted Maggie as she jumped into her. She felt two legs wrap around her frame and two arms squeeze around her neck, grasping her so tightly that she was sure she could buckle. But she persisted and held onto her with a firm grip, peppering kisses up the side of her daughter’s face. “Oh, I missed you so much, little bug,” she laughed, pulling her head back so she could take a look at Maggie, a face she had yearned to see so badly over their time apart. She stroked her cheek softly with her hand and grinned. “So, so much,” she sighed, placing one more kiss on her forehead. 

Maggie returned the toothy grin and giggled happily. “I missed you too, Mama.” 

Jamie stood back to let them have their moment, waiting patiently for her turn as she fidgeted with her hands. She was trying to keep her cool but bottling all of the excitement that was filling her up and sending her heart racing was proving to be difficult. She bit back her grin and tapped her foot anxiously as she watched the reunion between Dani and Maggie. 

Upon seeing her wife, Dani put Maggie down and with one big step it seemed, she was embracing Jamie. Both of their arms so tightly wrapped around each other that they were sure their backs were going to snap. But they didn’t mind. To have each other in their arms was worth it, worth the warmth and love accumulating between them, connecting once again, something they had both missed so much. 

“I missed you so much,” Jamie whispered into Dani’s hair as they teetered side to side in their longing hold. 

“I missed you too,” Dani croaked, her voice ridden with emotion as she felt tears well into her eyes and a lump form in her throat. She didn’t expect to be so emotional upon seeing them again, but she was overwhelmed by the feeling of having her family with her. To feel the most satisfying relief of being back home with the people she knew and loved with all of her heart instead of the folks she’d spent her time with previously– not that she necessarily loathed them, but she would be okay with not seeing them again for a long while. 

Jamie pulled back first and cupped Dani’s face, her own green eyes glistening with forming tears. She joined her lips to Dani’s, kissing her tenderly, her body not willing her to let go. They stayed like that until a small voice pitched in. 

“Gross,” Maggie groaned jokingly, which prompted Jamie and Dani to pull apart and look at their daughter who was smiling, only wanting to bring the attention back to her based on the cheeky grin she had on her face. 

Dani chuckled and left a few more pecks on Jamie’s lips before holding out her hand for Maggie to take. She pulled her daughter into her and held her close, bending down to place a kiss on her head. Her other hand came to rest at Jamie’s cheek. “I missed my girls so much,” she said, making Jamie blush lightly.

“We missed you too Mama, especially your cooking. Mum stinks at it,” Maggie said matter-of-factly. 

“Oh yeah?” Dani cackled and began walking hand in hand with her daughter towards the exit. 

Jamie rolled her eyes and grabbed Dani’s luggage, lightly jogging to catch up with her wife and daughter. It was very much like Dani to become engrossed with the conversations she shared with her daughter, so she paid no mind to Jamie or the luggage she was leaving behind. 

Her arm came around Dani’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze. “It was not that bad,” Jamie insisted. 

“She almost burnt down the kitchen, so we had to order pizza all week,” Maggie told her. What Jamie feared, became a reality. All of the times she told Maggie to  _ Please, don’t tell your mom,  _ she did just that anyway. She couldn’t even be mad though because of how entertaining it was to see Dani’s face become so concerned. 

Dani eyed Jamie. “What did you do to our kitchen?” she asked, looking very serious. 

“Uh, may or may not have blown one of the burners. But don’t worry, I have it under control and I’m fixing it,” Jamie said, fumbling lightly on her words once she felt Dani’s reprimanding eyes on her. 

Dani clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You girls sound like you had quite the exciting week without me…”

“Oh yeah, on Wednesday-” 

“Hey we don’t need to bring that up,” Jamie interrupted with a nervous laugh. Dani eyed her with furrowed brows. 

“No, I want to hear about Wednesday, what happened?” Dani asked, slowing down her pace to really take in whatever Maggie was about to reveal. 

“Well, Mum overslept until ten and forgot to wake me up for school,” she said with a giggle as if it were just about the best story in the world. However, Jamie wasn’t so pleased as evidenced by the hand over her face. She was in trouble, that was for sure. “And so we… ” she tried to remember the exact word Jamie used. 

“Skived off,” Jamie finished, head bowing in shame as she owned up to her wrongdoing. 

“You guys played hooky?” Dani gasped, following it with a laugh, not mad at all it turned out. Dani may have wondered only slightly what the school thought of her daughter not turning up to school, but she could only imagine the excuse Jamie made up for her. 

“No, she just came to the shop with me and I made her do the arrangements,” Jamie said, laughing softly at the recollection of Maggie sitting on the floor trying so hard to mimic her mother’s flower arrangements. Watching her intently as she rearranged the flowers in their vases to look as good as Jamie’s. 

As they approached their car, Dani giggled softly as she pictured Jamie scrambling and panicking as she tried to make things work while she was gone. Jamie opened the door for her and let her slip in. 

“Well I know one thing,” Dani sighed once they were all settled into the car, her hand coming to rest on Jamie’s thigh as they pulled out of the lot. “I am never leaving again.” 

Jamie smiled with a subtle shake of her head. She should have been more upset at the idea that Dani didn’t trust her to be responsible enough to do all of that alone again, but she wasn’t. In fact, hearing Dani say she wasn’t ever going to go off like that again sent a rush of relief through her bones. After all, the three of them were a team, the best team there ever was. What was a team if one of them was missing? A shite one really, if she was being honest with herself. 

Before Jamie could land a reply, Maggie did so first. “Promise?” she asked, a clear excitement in her voice. 

Dani laughed and nodded her head, turning to pat Maggie’s knee fondly, then she grabbed Jamie’s hand. She smiled softly at Jamie, then met Maggie’s eyes through the rearview mirror, giving her a small simper and wink. 

“Oh, I promise.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Jamie has an important meeting with the senator, Dani is left to take care of her sick daughter with a good film and maybe not so awful tea. Turns out ten-year-olds are very observant. 
> 
> Just the purest domestic fluff.

**March 2012**

Jamie knocked on her bedroom door and opened it, sighing as she saw Maggie still sleeping. The softest snores escaping from the bundled pile on the bed. 

“Magnolia,” she said sharply as she gave two alarming knocks to the wall in hopes the sound would wake her up.

The girl jumped a bit at the sound then groaned and turned over, pulling the blanket up and over her chin. She huddled into the warmth of the blankets desperately as she shivered. The slightest sniffles could be heard coming from her but not loud enough for Jamie to catch. 

Jamie walked over and sat on the bed, making sure to do so with great weight to jiggle the surface. Trying to be as annoying as possible to get Maggie out of bed. It was apparent that she was going to do just about anything to get the girl out of bed in order to save them a scolding from Dani. 

Jamie gently shook her shoulder. “I told you to wake up fifteen minutes ago,” she reprimanded. “Your Mum is going to kill us both if she comes in here and sees you still asleep.” 

“I-” Maggie is cut off by the sudden coughs that leave her mouth, utterly hoarse and miserable sounding. In turn, making Jamie cringe. 

Upon hearing the coughing, Jamie urged Maggie to turn over by pulling at her shoulder. The girl rolled onto her back to reveal her terribly flushed face, a nose as red as a tomato, and dark-circled eyes barely in a squint. Her state held a remarkable resemblance to that of a zombie. The sight was shocking to her, especially because Maggie being sick was a rarity. Almost so rare that she had forgotten what exactly to do with a sick child. 

Jamie clicked her tongue and tilted her head as she looked her daughter up and down one again, feeling awful for the girl who was obviously miserable. Also, feeling awful for being so stern with her before, now understanding why she wasn’t getting up. 

“Well you look like an absolute gremlin,” Jamie chuckled, trying to upturn Maggie’s frown. Her hand came down to feel her forehead for a fever. She whipped it back and winced dramatically as if Maggie’s forehead was hotter than fire. She jokingly cradled her hand and shook her head. “A sick one at that.”

Maggie giggled at her mother’s antics, but her laughter soon turned into another fit of coughing. Leaving her to moan in agony and fatigue.

“I don’t feel so good,” she said hoarsely as if it weren’t the most obvious thing in the world. Jamie gave her a look of pity and huffed, not having the slightest clue about what they were going to do.

“Yeah, I can see that, Sprout,” she said, getting a bit worried when she felt just how much she was shivering. In response, she pulled Maggie’s comforter up to her chin and tucked her into the blanket as flush as possible to keep her warm. 

Jamie and Maggie’s gazes simultaneously moved towards the door as they heard the sound of heels clicking on the wood floor growing closer.

As she had her focus on buttoning up the sleeve of her blouse, Dani walked into the bedroom, not yet seeing the scene before her: her daughter most certainly not ready for school and Jamie sitting next to her on the bed looking awfully worried. 

“We have five minutes, and then we have to…” Dani looked up and paused once she saw the pair on the bed. She put both hands on her hips and gave them a confused look, her characteristic furrowed brows and pursed lips. “Maggie, why are you still in bed?” she asked, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. 

Maggie, who was seemingly at a loss for words, said nothing. It was rare for Dani to get upset with her, but her patience was easily tested in the morning. 

“She’s sick,” Jamie answered for her, upon seeing the little girl seize up into her nerves. Then, as if on cue, Maggie started another bout of hacking, that one surely worse as presented through the tears that were welling in her eyes. 

Dani absolutely hated seeing Maggie sick, let alone seeing her cry, so her face immediately fell into the most pitiful frown. She rushed to the other side of her bed and sat down, her hand coming down to cup her forehead.

“Oh my poor baby, you have a fever,” she said sympathetically as her hand slowly followed the curve of Maggie’s face where it rested on her cheek. She looked over at Jamie, then down at her watch, reverting her gaze back to her wife when she realized the time. “You think you can stay with her, Jame?” she asked, eyes nearly begging.

Jamie sighed and shook her head. “I can’t, the Sanders’ are coming in today,” she said. The senator’s family was in need of a floral arrangement for one of their many election events and, because they were one of her most loyal clients, Jamie could never let them down. 

Dani, knowing how important the client was, knew there was no other option but for her to stay behind with Maggie. Which seemed to be less than ideal given she had to figure out someone to watch her class so last minute. 

“I guess I’ll just call in,” she sighed, looking fairly worried about what to tell the school. A look that Maggie instantly recognized. The woe look with raised brows and subtly twisted lips to display concern. Maggie certainly didn’t like it either. 

“I can just stay by myself,” Maggie offered, trying to put on a façade of maturity and poise. As if it were totally rational to leave a ten-year-old to fend for herself. In all honesty, she hated ever being a burden on her mothers. She’d always try to be as much of a help and as little trouble as possible, which always confused Jamie and Dani because they never made it seem like she could ever be a burden. Quite frankly, they’d do just about anything for her without even batting an eye. After all, she was their only child, and they loved her more than anything. 

Both women burst into laughter in unison. Jamie, in particular, raised her eyebrows and scoffed once her fit of laughter had died down. 

“Yeah, that is absolutely not happening,” Dani said, then gave Maggie a reassuring smile. “I’ll take care of you, sweet girl.”

“I can call for you, babe,” Jamie said as she kissed Dani’s temple, knowing it was the least she could do because she couldn’t stay. And the fact that the principal seemed to be absolutely smitten with Jamie would surely be of benefit to them. Jamie could see it in his eyes whenever she would visit Dani and the way his face lit up whenever she spoke. Jamie hated it, absolutely, but it did mean she could get away with a lot in regards to her wife and daughter when it came to the school. 

Jamie bent down and kissed Maggie’s cheek. “You do not leave this bed. You hear me, Mags?” she said with a pointed finger, a voice stern only in jest. 

Maggie giggled and nodded. “I hear ya,” she sighed, rolling her eyes to match her mother’s signature attitude. Jamie gave her one last fond smile before getting up to call the school. 

Dani, who had become antsy with worry, was beginning her routine of nurturing. She grabbed more blankets for Maggie and propped her up on her pillows. Doing just about everything she could think of to make sure her daughter was comfortable. Much to her annoyance, there wasn’t much left to do so she just sat back down, not peeling her eyes off Maggie once. She couldn’t help but feel a bit distressed that if she were to look away for a second something would happen. 

Both of their attention was caught by the sound of Jamie in the living room talking to the school. 

“Yeah well, David… David, I understand it’s hard to find a substitute…” they heard Jamie argue in the living room with the school’s principal. Both of them listening intently to how she was so good at getting her way. She scoffed, and they heard a hand come down to hit her leg in aggravation. “No, I certainly cannot stay home,” she spat. “I have bloody Senator Sanders coming today. Yeah, exactly. Okay. Thank you, David. Goodbye.” 

Dani bit her lip and closed her eyes, shaking her head with an almost inaudible chuckle. She adored the way Jamie could always seem to get things done. If there was something she was determined to accomplish, she had a particular unrelenting way of talking to people, especially to those she didn’t like so much. David an apparent member of the latter. 

Jamie came into the room, and both Dani and Maggie were trying to bite back their laughter. “Well, that solves that,” she said, a sigh following to dissolve the apparent frustration she had with Dani’s boss. Both women gazed at each other in silent conversation, one that ranted about David, both understanding each other’s negative feelings towards him through their faces. 

A remarkable talent that both of them shared was the ability to speak with no words, it was a language they had grown fluent in over their two decades together. 

She held the phone in one hand and tapped it against her empty palm as she surveyed the picture before her, the girls she so wanted to remain with for the day. She felt a tinge of jealousy that Dani got to stay behind, but she couldn’t. But she had her responsibilities, and she’d have to live with that. 

“I have to go now; I love you both very much.” 

She walked over to give Dani a quick peck to the lips and Maggie a kiss on her cheek.

“Love you, Mum,” Maggie whispered, not able to speak much louder. 

“I love you, Jamie,” Dani smiled as she beckoned Jamie in for one more kiss. It was astounding that even after so many years, Dani just couldn’t get enough of her; the one kiss was never sufficient. Especially now that they were, newly, officially married. They’d gone and done it a year or so after it was legalized in Vermont. It was a small little affair at the courthouse with just the two of them and Maggie, who much to her pleasure got to be bridesmaid, flower girl, and maid of honor. Not like all of that was really necessary, but she insisted. 

Jamie looked at the both of them disappointedly, wanting to stay so badly. She gave them a small, almost awkward, wave and was out the door.

Once the door shut after Jamie, Dani made sure to stay in the room for a while longer to watch over Maggie. The girl yawned, so obviously ridden with exhaustion. In response, Dani got up to leave, wanting to let her rest, but Maggie gave her those puppy-dog eyes that could coax her into doing anything. She didn’t have the heart to leave her, so she laid back down beside her. Maggie immediately went through her new ritual of sneezing, coughing, and sad sniffling. 

“Oh my poor, sweet girl,” she sighed as she ran her finger over the features of Maggie’s face, trying to lull her to sleep. 

Maggie, half-awake, drowsily spoke, “How come Mum couldn’t skip work too?”

Dani propped her elbow on the pillow, supporting her head with her hand so she could look down at her daughter. 

“Oh, she’s got a whole shop to run and important people to meet with. Mama’s only a teacher among so many other teachers. They barely even need me,” she said with a slight chuckle at the end. 

“Well, I need you,” Maggie said simply. She couldn’t help but wonder how no one else could share the same value she held for her mother. In her eyes, Dani was just about the most important person in her life. She was almost offended by the statement that the school barely needed her.

Dani gave her a fond smile, feeling a little emotional lump form in her throat because of just how sweet the affirmation was. It was so straightforward, so short, but it meant the world. To know she was needed was one of the greatest things Dani thought she’d ever heard. Especially coming from the little girl she equally needed more than anything. 

She was always taken aback by Maggie’s kindness, always having everyone’s best interest in mind. She had an enormous heart, filled with so much love and respect for others. Dani was too humble to admit that she got that from her, but if someone had met Dani and then met Maggie, they’d surely know exactly where that selflessness came from. 

She lifted Maggie’s little hand and put their palms together, Maggie’s so much smaller than hers. Dani gave a delighted huff at the contrast in size, reminded by just how little her daughter still was. A bittersweet moment given she was growing so fast, but she was still so young that they had more than enough time left before she was grown. Before, of course, she wouldn’t need Dani so much, an idea she absolutely dreaded. 

Two pairs of identical, blue eyes just stared at one another for a few moments in comfortable silence. However, Maggie’s cold rudely interrupted when she seized into her coughing once again. 

“Alright, I think you’ve had enough of that,” Dani said as she rubbed Maggie’s back, easing her through the fit until she was relaxed. She sat up. “I’ll get you some medicine and some tea.” 

“Please no tea,” Maggie practically begged. 

Dani rolled her eyes. She was fully aware that her tea couldn’t possibly be that bad, but Jamie had persuaded Maggie into believing so. Sure, she couldn’t make a good cup of English tea to save her life. But, after all, they were in America where people drank their tea iced and sweet, or they had peppermint tea with honey when they were sick. Which was exactly what Dani was planning to prepare for Maggie, something she had made numerous times for Jamie when she had a cold and never heard one complaint from her anyway. She’d even made it for Maggie who had liked it. So, either they were both lying when they said it tasted good, which was actually a fair assumption, or they just enjoyed senselessly teasing Dani and planned to do so until the end of her days. 

“It won’t be _that_ bad. Don’t be such a snob like your mum,” she said as she walked out the door, peeking back in abruptly just a second later. “And don’t you dare tell her I said that,” she said. 

Maggie gave her a mischievous smirk, obviously planning to betray Dani’s request. And how could Dani be so mindless? Maggie was Jamie’s sidekick, so she’d most certainly tell her anyway. She could already hear Jamie’s voice asking _Did you really tell our kid I’m a snob?_ Dani sighed, realizing she’d have to deal with it once it came up. There was no escaping it. 

* * *

Whilst in the kitchen, Dani heard the pitter-patter of feet approaching. She looked over at Maggie who was standing before her, rubbing a fist in her eye. 

“Hey, I thought Mum told you not to get out of bed,” she said as she rounded the corner of their counter with the cup of tea in one hand and medicine in the other. 

Maggie shrugged. “I got lonely… and bored. Mostly bored.” 

Dani bent down to kiss her head as she walked past her, Maggie taking it as a cue to follow her towards the stairs. 

“Wanna watch a movie with me?” Dani asked and the excited gasp that followed was enough of an answer for her. She looked behind herself at Maggie who had a beaming smile on her face. One thing, among the many things, she inherited from Dani was her love for movies.

Maggie scurried to the living room where she searched for a movie, picking out her favorite one and presenting it to her mother once she caught up with her upstairs in her bedroom. They had opted to watch the movie in Dani and Jamie’s room because of the bigger bed and television. 

Dani took it into her hands and smiled fondly. “The Princess Bride,” she said softly. Maggie replied with a rapid nod, settling herself on the bed with eyes urging Dani to put it on already. 

Dani was certain the disc would be worn out soon by how much Maggie insisted on watching it. She couldn’t complain though. Just the way Dani was with her constant viewings of Audrey Hepburn films, Maggie was the same with _The Princess Bride_. 

She put the disc in, but before she began the film she walked over. “Medicine first,” she said as she unscrewed the cap of the disgusting liquid that Maggie loathed. It was probable that the reason why she barely got sick was that her body hated the medicine so much it most likely willed the sickness away before it caught up to her. 

“Why?” she whined, ending it with a scratchy cough. 

“That’s why,” Dani laughed in reference to her apparent sickness. “Now open up.”

Maggie did as told and took the cherry syrup reluctantly, her face wringing at the taste. Dani immediately handed her the tea to wash it way. 

Dani found herself remembering the first time Maggie was sick and, of course, Jamie was there. It had worried Dani to tears seeing her so sick and miserable, so to cheer her up, Jamie would taunt her repeatedly every time she had to give their daughter her medicine with the song from _Mary Poppins_. _A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,_ over and over as a way to make her laugh because after all, Dani was Poppins. Jamie made sure to remind her of that as much as possible.

Dani smiled fondly at the memory, feeling her heart ache slightly once she was reminded of Jamie’s absence. She could only imagine how much better at all of this she would be. She was aware that Maggie could sense her concern in times like that which never made the situation any better, and she knew it was unnecessary to worry so much over a cold, but she couldn’t help it. 

Unlike Dani, Jamie was able to mask her concern. In some circumstances, it wasn’t so great, but when it came to cheering someone up in times of worry, Jamie could always do it effortlessly. It was always her endless sense of humor that could get anyone out of their blues. She’d spout out joke after joke in order to garner a laugh. It was a tactic she used on Maggie frequently. Jamie knew just how unhappy her own childhood was, and she wanted to prevent that for Maggie. She wished to give her a life full of the purest happiness. Thus, whenever Maggie was upset it caused her so much anxiety that she couldn’t relax until she got a smile. That was why Jamie was the best at cheering Maggie up, and she always would be the best at it. 

Dani wrapped Maggie up in the blankets and slid under them just next to her, tucking an arm under her and holding her around her shoulder. Maggie nuzzled up to her and they both watched the movie they’d seen probably hundreds of times at that point. 

“You look like her, Mama,” Maggie observed halfway through. 

“Who? Like Buttercup?” she asked. The girl nodded. 

“Just like her. Very pretty,” she said drowsily, her sentences becoming shorter due to how tired the concoction of medicine and tea was making her. “But Mum does not look like Westley,” she yawned with a shake of her head. 

Dani laughed and reached to run her fingers softly through Maggie’s long blonde hair, leaning her cheek down to rest atop the girl’s head. 

“Do you and Mum love each other like that?” Maggie asked.

“Oh yeah,” Dani claimed confidently. “Even more, probably.” 

“Really?” Maggie questioned with a glisten in her eyes as she looked up at her mother, amazed by the fact that her mothers’ love was even greater than the fairytale playing before her. 

Dani took a moment to contemplate, to really compare their love to that of Westley and Buttercup. It was true, Jamie did go to great lengths to protect her, to save her, to love her. She proved that she was so determined to show Dani just how much she was worth. Just how much she was loved. 

She hadn’t really talked about her past to Maggie, about their time in Bly. They thought it was a memory best left in the closet, locked away for as long as they could keep it there. Simply, Dani didn’t feel the need to open up about that darkness, about the fact that even being there in that moment was close to a miracle. And she was certain she would not be there if it weren’t for Jamie.

Dani nodded in confirmation.“Your Mum is my Westley,” Dani said simply as she took in a stabilizing breath, feeling emotional over her previous thoughts. 

“Mum is your hero,” she stated matter-of-factly once she put together just what Jamie meant to Dani. 

The words, so simple, hit Dani like a freight train, completely catching her off guard. She’d never really thought about Jamie that way, but it was true. Jamie was her hero in all meanings of the word. She felt her chest grow a bit heavy and her throat began to ache as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Her Jamie, her hero. The love of her life. The best partner a woman could have and definitely the most wonderful mother.

“Yeah,” she whispered shakily, not really able to muster much more as her emotions had snatched her voice right from her throat. Just as she agreed with Maggie, an anticipated tear rolled down her cheek. She rose a knuckle to wipe it away and sniffled back whatever ones threatened to fall. Dani was absolutely not going to ruin their movie time with her crying. 

But the sniffle was enough for Maggie to notice the abrupt change in her mood. The little girl turned so she could look up at her mother, worry instantly puddling in her blue eyes. “Mama, why are you sad?” Her eyes toggled back in forth between her mother’s, searching for an answer there. 

“I’m not sad,” she chuckled, following it with a trembling breath to keep her composure. “I just love your Mum very, very much,” she explained. “And actually that just makes me very, very happy.” 

“Oh, you’re crying your happy tears again,” Maggie said in relief, her face relaxing from its previously tense state. She was aware of how emotional her mother was, so it was normal to her. However, she hadn’t quite mastered recognizing when it was sad or happy, so her fretting would linger until she could comprehend. 

Dani laughed at Maggie’s innocent remark and kissed her forehead. “I love you so much, my sweet girl,” she said as she cupped her cheeks, looking at what was so close to her reflection before her. Amazed at her creation, so perfect and beautiful. A being that would not exist if not for her and Jamie’s love. Their utmost commitment led them to the best piece of their wonderful life: their daughter. 

“I love you too, Mama,” Maggie softly said, her head coming down to rest on Dani’s chest, a small arm tightly secured around her waist. Dani played with Maggie’s hair and curled strands around her fingers as she watched the remainder of the movie. As she felt Maggie’s breathing even out until she dozed off, she felt herself grow heavy-eyed as well. Her arm slid down to hold Maggie close to her, and she let her eyes flutter shut as she also fell asleep. 

* * *

Jamie was stuck at work, worrying about Maggie all day. After none of her texts were being answered by Dani, she decided to close the shop early. Meeting with the senator and his team was enough to tire her out anyway. 

She walked through the front door and looked around the first level for at least her wife, but she came up empty-handed. Jamie then resorted to Maggie’s room, only to find it was empty as well. She let out a confused huff, then looked down the hall at her bedroom door, hearing the softest sound coming from the television in there. 

She walked in, not expecting to see what she did. “Dani, I’m ho…” she announced, only to abruptly stop once she saw her wife and daughter. They were fast asleep. Maggie was against her mother’s chest, Dani’s cheek resting on her head, her arms tightly holding her daughter close. 

Jamie felt like she could melt at the sight, her heart nearly imploding in her chest. She crept over and sat beside them on the bed. She wanted to at least let Dani know she was home, so she gently woke her by placing a hand on her cheek and using her thumb to brush the skin there. 

Dani’s eyes slowly opened to see her wife before her, and she smiled sleepily.

“Hi,” she said, trying to move towards Jamie to give her a welcoming kiss. But once she remembered Maggie was basically on top of her, she stopped from moving any farther to prevent waking her. 

Jamie leaned in instead and kissed her. “You’re trapped,” she whispered with a chuckle. 

Dani looked down at her daughter adoringly then back up at Jamie, giving her a confirming smile. 

“She feeling any better?” Jamie asked, her hand reaching to touch Maggie’s forehead for improvement. 

Dani yawned. “Yeah, I think so,” she said. “Will you help me take her to her bed?” she asked Jamie. 

The brunette nodded and carefully lifted Maggie into her arms, forgetting just how big she was getting and surely felt the weight on her back as she stood up straight. 

The sudden change in position made Maggie stir slightly, her arms coming up to lock around Jamie’s neck. She was still too exhausted to do much else before immediately falling asleep again. 

Once in Maggie’s room, Jamie laid her on the bed, pulling the duvet to her chin and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Dani did the same and told Maggie she loved her. 

They approached the door, but couldn’t leave without stalling in the doorway, bodies pressed together as they looked over at their sleeping daughter, just to check on her once more. 

Dani, who seemed to linger a bit longer because of her recollection of their previous conversation about Jamie, sighed softly. 

“She said you’re my hero,” she muttered. 

Jamie, who was just behind her, snaked her arms around her waist. Her lips found purchase at her neck. 

“Oh yeah?” she asked. 

Dani stretched her neck to reveal more of the skin for Jamie’s lips to take as she felt herself faintly dissolve at the contact. She nodded as she nuzzled her head back into Jamie’s shoulder. 

“Well am I?” she questioned, genuinely curious. A cheeky smile rose to her lips as she craned her neck to try and look at Dani. 

Dani turned her head to face Jamie as best as she could, leaving a strained but gentle kiss on her lips. 

Jamie didn’t think it was all that serious of a topic, but the look on Dani’s face said enough. It was in fact serious, and Jamie felt a plethora of butterflies suspend up into her stomach. A feeling of the most unfeigned love flooded through her. Dani really thought she was her hero. It was almost an immature thing to be happy about, but Jamie found comfort in the thought no matter how childlike it made her seem. 

Dani looked deep into her eyes and gave her a smile. 

“Jamie, you have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it. I think this about the fluffiest thing I have written, haha. Also, if you have any prompts, I’ll happily take them! 
> 
> Also, it occurred to me recently that because Jamie and Dani lived in Vermont that they got to have Bernie Sanders as their mayor (assuming they lived in Burlington) and senator, so… I gave him a slight cameo. In this universe, Jamie and Dani know him and I stand by that one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Jamie have a heated argument. Both women are deep in their remorse, and Maggie helps bring them back together.

**December 2013**

“Hey, can you get that?” Dani asked, fingers trying to blindly finesse an earring into her ear, eyeing Jamie sitting on the bed from the vanity mirror. 

Jamie huffed and stood from the position, that she had just taken seconds before, to tend to the ringing phone in the living room. She cursed under her breath in aggravation, making sure to be just loud enough to where Dani could hear. Wanting Dani to know just how agitated she was, and how incredibly not in the mood she happened to be. 

Dani simply rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore it, and went onto the next gold hoop. She looked at herself in the mirror, flattening her black dress and fixing a piece of her hair, letting out a sigh in an attempt to ease the growing annoyance in the pit of her stomach. _It will be fine. It’s always fine._

Things had been tense, to put it nicely, between the two of them in the last couple of months. Dani had decided to move on with a new job, with much trepidation of course, and she took a position as a high school principal. As much as she loved teaching the younger kids, something about doing the same thing for over 20 years was too redundant for her nature. So, she took on the ever daunting task of taking charge of about a thousand kids at the local high school. Which meant the new position was far more work. Often, leaving Dani to be out the door early in the morning and turning up late at night. 

Jamie, as much as she wanted to support her wife, was having a lot of trouble adapting. Which she knew she only had herself to blame given she pushed Dani to take the position and reassured her during her bouts of self-doubt. But she didn’t expect the stark change in their life. After so many years of having a routine, a way of doing things that just felt so right, it was jarring to have to change that. 

Dani could hear only the faintest talking coming from downstairs, but once Jamie returned to the room, she knew it wasn’t good. Just based on that look on her face and the deep breath she inhaled. She leaned against the doorframe, looking down at her houndstooth pants and wiping off lint there. Dani recognized the lack of eye contact and the nervous tic. Whatever it was, was going to piss her off even more than she already was. 

“Babysitter canceled. Says she’s got the flu,” Jamie said, trying to will herself to sound disappointed, but she knew exactly what that meant. It meant she wouldn’t have to be forced to attend the damn faculty Christmas party at Dani’s school. She hated surrounding herself with those people, the people who did about anything to present themselves as acceptable to Dani, their boss. She despised how they fawned over her and Dani because they were _different._ Purely taking interest in them because of their unconventionality. Or forced themselves to be nice in order to present themselves as accepting and progressive. Jamie could see right through it and it made her nauseous just thinking about it. 

Not only that, the thought of spending the night out trying to act like Dani and her were okay sounded more tiring than running a marathon. Plastering on fake smiles, false touches, and biting back passive remarks. Why would she willingly put herself through that hell? 

Dani looked over at her, lips pursing and she took in a stabilizing breath. Enough to maintain her cool, buying her time before she gets angry. “Are you joking me, Jamie?” she hissed, hands falling from where they were at her hair down to smack against her sides. 

“Well the girl did _just_ call to back out,” she responded patronizingly. In her defense, it was an obvious answer to a foolish question. However, the regret she felt once she saw the way Dani’s face fell into a furrowed look was enough to make her wish she could have altered her tone. 

Dani looked back to the mirror and sighed as she internally surveyed their options. There was no way she wasn’t going to the party, and there was also no way she was leaving that house without Jamie. She could tell Jamie didn’t want to go, and she would drag her out screaming and kicking if she had to. 

“Well, can you call Charlie?” Dani asked, referring to one of the few employees at Jamie’s shop. He was a college student, who was an incredibly smart, charming kid, but he was undeniably the last person Jamie would leave with her daughter given his lack of basic common sense. She could only imagine him trying to cook them dinner and quite literally causing the house to erupt into flames. Or trying to initiate a game of soccer in the house only to shatter vases that held valuable plants. Jamie would never. 

“Charlie? Frat boy, dud Charlie?” Jamie scoffed and shook her head. “You out of your mind?”

“Jamie, it’s for four hours.” 

“A lot can happen in four hours, Dani.”

Dani faced her again and put her hands on her hips. “What do you think we should do then?” she questioned, voice a bit steeper than she intended. Tit for tat. One snapped voice to another only meant one thing. An argument was brewing. 

Jamie gave her an innocent shrug as if what she was about to say wasn’t rehearsed since the moment she hung up the phone. “I’ll just stay back,” she offered. 

Dani rolled her eyes before simply replying with, “No.” She grabbed her purse off the bed and made her way out the door. 

“No?” Jamie spat. “What do you mean _no_?” 

“I mean… _no.”_

“Well I’m not leaving her here by herself, Dani,” Jamie said with a chuckle of disbelief, voice now seeming desperate for Dani to just accept her offer so she wouldn’t have to go with her. 

Suddenly, a being appeared at the top of the stairs. Standing there as she looked down at her mothers, her mind trying to work up the nerves needed to intervene. After all, she was twelve and took pride in her maturity, so she was confident she could hold down the fort. 

“I can stay here by myself, it’s okay,” Maggie assured. Her voice led both women to start and they looked at Maggie from the bottom of the stairs. Maggie seemed tense under their gazes, and her face showed deep concern. Although they hadn’t gotten to the climax of their argument, Maggie knew it was coming. She had to endure the countless arguments and the strained environment from the last few weeks, so she could read the situation perfectly. Unfortunately, as the only other person among them, she was cast into the role of mediator. She hated the arguing, mostly because she hadn’t ever experienced it before. Jamie and Dani rarely argued, and if they had it was usually resolved quickly with genuine apologies and laughter, kisses and hugs. 

“You see, she said she can stay by herself,” Dani said as her hand gestured towards Maggie. Still standing there, now wide-eyed, feeling like she’d done something wrong by speaking up. She was being cast into the fight whether she liked it or not. 

“Don’t use our kid as a pawn,” Jamie spat. “She’s twelve, and it’s late. So I’m staying, and that’s final.” 

Dani’s mouth fell open and her face grew offended. “A pawn? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re using our daughter to get me to go with you to that fucking party, Dani.”

“She’s twelve, she’ll be fine,” she retorted, volume and aggression increasing. “And _that fucking party_ ? It isn’t just _that fucking party,_ Jamie. You told me you’d come!”

“What makes you think I’d ever want to fucking go to that thing with you? Surrounded by all those arseholes who stare at us all night? Shittiest evening I could ever think of.”

As the volume of the argument grew louder, Maggie felt stressed tears brim in her eyes, and she spun on her heels to hurry back to her room. She slammed her door to try and cause enough ruckus to get them to realize just how their argument was affecting her. Maybe it would get them to stop. 

She was right in that they noticed, but it only made them divert their fight to that. 

“See what you did, Jamie? You upset her,” Dani blamed. 

“Me? _I_ upset her?” Jamie scoffed. “Dani, you started this.” 

“I started this?” she questioned with brows furrowing in insult. “Jamie you just screwed over our plans, and I started it?” she recounted, fingers jabbing at her own chest with the last question. 

“You’re impossible,” Jamie lowly growled, running a hand through her hair in frustration. She walked off towards the kitchen, taking her blazer off and unbuttoning the cuffs of her blouse, a way to cement her staying back. She rolled up her sleeves as she opened up the cupboard to find the wine. 

Dani chased after her, becoming anxious when she realized they’d be late. A predicament that would be humiliating to put herself through. To show up late to the party she planned. Extraordinary.

The blonde watched as Jamie poured herself a glass, and her face turned to a scowl. “What the fuck are you doing?” she spat, accentuating every word. 

Nothing. 

“We’re going to be late,” she tried again, voice icy as she grew restless and agitated. 

Nothing

Jamie was testing her, and she was doing a fine job. Because Dani was suddenly riled and irate. She could feel it bubbling, feeling all of the anger towards her wife rise and rise. Before they had mere arguments, and, sure, they were heated. Sure, they were filled with anger, but they always held the other’s interest in their hearts. Never unleashed enough anger to make an argument worth regretting. But Dani was quite frankly fed up. Fed up with Jamie’s selfishness, by her complacency. And it spilled over rampantly, and nothing could stop it. 

“Jesus Christ, Jamie! For once can you fucking do something for me?” she fumed, voice so loud it chimed on the walls. 

Jamie was stunned by the volume as apparent by her pausing with the glass near her lips. She lowered the glass with purpose, the wine sloshing out of it slightly as it made contact with the counter. 

“Are you serious?” she asked, voice low and vexed. She braced her hands on the sides of the counters where she gripped until her knuckles went white. A tactic that kept her from lashing out, kept her as grounded as possible. 

“Yeah,” she stated exasperatedly, nodding. Her hands danced about in gesture as she continued, “What the fuck have you done for me in the last month besides insulting me and tearing me down, Jamie? And for what? Because I got a new job?” 

Part of that was horribly fabricated, but the other part was true. In fact, Jamie didn’t take to the transition kindly. For two reasons mostly. One, she hated Dani being so much busier and around only late at night, and if she was around earlier she was deep in work. Secondly, she was jealous. The one she was ashamed of. She didn’t know why she felt so jealous, but she did. It was probably because she had run the shop for 25 years and only ever did that. She plateaued there. But Dani kept thriving; moving up, making more friends. Changing greatly it seemed along with it. And Jamie envied it. And her jealousy was something she loathed, but she couldn’t deny it. So, she was relentless in her passive aggression and short temper. 

“Ins… Tearing you…?” Jamie fumbled in disbelief, totally taken aback by Dani’s remarks. “What the… What is wrong with you, Dani?” she spat. 

“What is wrong with me?” she asked and her face went into one of condescending nature. She tapped a finger to her chin in mock contemplation, letting out a soft _hm._ “Jamie, what’s wrong with me is my wife, who has stood by me and supported me, who actually told me to get this damn job, just stopped. Stopped caring and turned cruel. Just so cruel,” she replied, voice wavering at the end as truly frustrated and disappointed tears welled in her eyes. She wanted to seem poised, so with all the will in her body, she prevented them from falling.

But Jamie saw the way her eyes changed, and she didn’t like it. She was so displeased at the sight, that she almost let her guard down. But stubborn Jamie would never. She was tough even when being tough was irrational and cold. 

Jamie’s thumb and index finger gripped the bridge of her nose, and she sighed out. “Dani, I have no idea what the fuck you’re goin’ on about,” Jamie grumbled exhaustively as she looked up at Dani, not one emotion, except being utterly burdened, marking her face. 

Her lack of matched fury and deep annoyance sent Dani further into her own anger. It only translated as Jamie not caring in the slightest, and it hurt. It hurt that Jamie didn’t recognize it, or that Jamie was too deep-set to ever own up to it. Either was awful, and she was afraid that it was a mixture of both. 

“I’m leaving,” Dani said, low and dismayed, turning to walk away. 

“Yeah, you do that, Dani. Walk away from your shite when it doesn’t go your way,” Jamie taunted as she took a drink of her wine. 

“Fuck you, Jamie,” she said, and then she was out the door, slamming it with so much vigor that the items on the shelves beside it rattled. 

Dani’s final counter was snide and immature, but she had nothing left to say. She was tired and aggravated, and she was overcome with worry about what was happening to them. What was happening to Jamie and her? She was afraid of them potentially crumbling. It made her head go dizzy when she realized they had made it 26 years without ever crossing into that territory, and the fact that it was happening recently was alarming and scary. Then she thought of Maggie, watching and listening, and that broke her and humiliated her. How could she put her child through that? 

Dani was able to reassure herself that it would pass. That they would talk about it. Just like they always did. 

Jamie leaned against the counter, closing her eyes and letting all of the pent up air in her chest release forcefully. “Fuck,” she muttered, immediately overcome with remorse. Especially as Dani’s words replayed in her mind. She hated to admit that she was right, and coming to terms with it made her chest tighten. The pain of knowing she had offended and wounded her was overwhelming. The two things Jamie hated doing and rarely ever did. She cursed her own idiocy and made herself a drink before walking to the living room to sit on the couch. She sipped and her knee bounced anxiously. She got up and stood by the bookcase, seeing the pictures that they had on one of the shelves. All of them so happy. So happy for so long, and then they turned up there. She took in a breath, reminding herself it was just a rut, just a phase. They’d talk it out, and they’d be fine. Just like they always did. 

Her eyes caught the wooden console in the middle of the room where they had their turntable and records, one of their favorite spots in the house. She knelt down in front of the shelves of vinyl. She flipped through them, smiling as she saw the ones she was so fond of until she saw the one she liked the most. She smiled as she traced the cover with her fingers. It was yellow with a big blue circle adorning it, reading: _Talking Heads. Speaking In Tongues._

Jamie heard a sound just behind her, and she whipped her head around to see its owner. Her smile faltered when she saw her daughter there, staring at her, eyes sullen and lips nearly frowning. Jamie had forgotten that their conflict had affected Maggie too, and she immediately felt bad about it. She tried on her best comforting smile, but Maggie was too unsure to return it. Instead, she silently approached Jamie and kneeled beside her, looking up at her in expectance. 

Jamie looked down at her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry, my love,” she said sincerely. “For involving you in that. It was stupid and unfair, and I’m very sorry.” 

Maggie leaned into her and nodded, silently accepting her apology. 

“What are you doing?” she asked as she looked over at the record in Jamie’s hands. “Talking Heads?” 

Jamie nodded and smiled, feeling her eyes well with tears as she remembered the importance of the album. It contained Dani and her’s most important song. One she had shown Dani upon moving to the States. It was one of the only songs that she took to in the beginning. All of the others she found too gritty and harsh. That was the one polar opposite aspect of Jamie and Dani’s relationship: their taste in music. Over time, however, their tastes came to merge into one. Music was one of their many love languages, and in the beginning, it was one of the ways they communicated. Sharing a song, dancing, singing–– mostly Dani doing the latter. 

Jamie slipped the record from the sleeve and put it on the platter, listening to the satisfying click of the needle hitting the grooves of the record. She closed her eyes as she heard the subtle hiss from the scratches they managed to put into the thing from playing it so much. 

Then the music started, and Jamie sighed out as she felt the rush of fondness and nostalgia. She smiled and looked over at Maggie who just looked confused. She was examining her mother’s face, trying to figure out why she looked so emotional over the song. 

“Sounds funny,” Maggie stated as she scrunched her nose. Jamie gasped and nudged at her arm, slightly offended that her daughter could say something like that about such a special song. She reasoned that if she explained its importance, she’d learn to love it. 

“This is your Mum and I’s song. The first time we got married… well, _got_ _married,_ ” she said as she formed air-quotes with her fingers. “We had a fake ceremony and danced to this song in our living room.” She laughed softly as she was reminded of the memory. Both of them wearing their finest dresses and getting tangled as they danced in the small area of their apartment. 

“When was that?” Maggie asked, face lighting up as she imagined her mother’s shenanigans. A love story unmatched by anything else. She had never actually heard much about the so-called first wedding, so she wanted to know everything. 

“Much before you were born. ‘93. We’d been together five years, by then. Your mum buried a ring in the roots of a dyin’ plant. Asked me to marry her right then and there.” 

Maggie and Jamie laughed together over the story, feeling so much joy in the thought of Dani rounding up a plant just to bury a ring in it for a proposal. 

“Well did you say yes?” Maggie asked, obviously knowing the answer, but she wanted to joke around. Knowing it would lift Jamie’s spirits. 

“Could barely do anythin’ under all of my ugly cryin’,” Jamie chuckled as she mimicked a dramatic sobbing face, eliciting a peal of roaring laughter from Maggie, who promptly doubled over and laid out on the carpeted floor. Jamie slowly joined her, and they both looked at the ceiling. Jamie lowered her gaze to Maggie. “We used to do just this to the song too. Just play the whole album and lie on the floor, do nothing but just enjoy each other’s company.” 

“Comfortable silence,” Maggie referred to it, having heard her mothers call it that for years. _You know you love someone if you can sit for hours in silence and feel comfortable and content in it._

“Yeah, exactly,” Jamie smiled and she leaned her head atop Maggie’s. They laid in silence as they both listened to the song. Jamie relished in her favorite verse: 

_Home, is where I want to be_

_But I guess I'm already there_

_I come home, she lifted up her wings_

_I guess that this must be the place._

The girl hummed to the tune as she reached over to the shelves of records and ran her fingers over the spines of the albums that were stored there. She randomly pulled one out, wanting to hear a story about whatever she had picked. A woman and four men were on the cover, split up by black and white lines. _Blondie. Parallel Lines._ Maggie knew that one. Blondie was her mother’s favorite and she could talk about them for hours and hours. 

She showed it to Jamie and she immediately gasped. “This is the bloody best of the bunch, Mags,” she exclaimed. She held the cover close to her chest. “Oh, I had such a crush on Debbie Harry.”

Maggie giggled and went to pull another one out, that time she had searched for it. She spotted the familiar spine and grabbed it. The cover was entirely blue with the dark face of a woman just barely visible. _Blue. Joni Mitchell._

“What about this one?” she asked. 

Jamie grabbed it and smirked at Maggie, knowing she knew just what it was. It was an album they were all fond of. 

“Just so happens to be our guilty pleasure, innit? Joni, Joni, Joni. I used to sing you this song when you were a baby,” she said as she pointed at the tracklisting on the back, finger laying just under the title: _Little Green._

Maggie grinned and scooched closer to Jamie. She rested her head against her shoulder, envisioning Jamie singing to her as a little baby. 

“What was I like… as a baby?” Maggie questioned. 

“Just about the cutest little bugger I’d ever seen,” she said, not needing even a moment to contemplate her answer. It was the easiest thing to do in the world, recollect everything having to do with Maggie. “Chubbiest little cheeks, and so little. My little green, quite literally I guess.” 

Maggie blushed at that, not really knowing how to take Jamie being so soft. She nuzzled into her mother’s arm to hide her embarrassment. Jamie’s hands ran through her hair and she huffed. 

“What? You asked. What did you want me to say?” she laughed. 

Maggie giggled and shrugged, then she looked up at Jamie. She gulped softly as she braced herself for what she was about to say. “You were kind of mean… to Mom,” she stated, face serious and scolding. 

Albeit very true, Jamie was still taken aback by her honesty. Realizing that if her daughter sensed it, then it wasn’t just a benign matter. She opened her mouth numerous times as she searched for the right response, but her words were fumbling. There was something about being reprimanded by a child that was scarier than the same being done by an adult, let alone it coming from her own child. 

“I know,” she said, the only response she could settle on. She bowed her head down and sighed. “I’ve been a bit of a… jerk,” she admitted, pausing to find a descriptor for herself that wasn’t an obscenity. 

“Are you and Mom… okay?” she asked, her eyes welling with worried tears as she thought about the worst happening. She had friends whose parents separated, and she always felt smug around them knowing her parents would never succumb to that. She felt that all of the conflicts were her punishment for her arrogance. It was the universe punishing her and granting her with her worst fear: parents who didn’t love each other. 

Jamie looked at her. Her face was ridden with concern and remorse. “You know your mum and I are fine, right? Sometimes people just fight, and it’s stupid and childish, but it happens. There’s no way in hell anything would happen to us, you hear me?” she reminded her, a reassuring sternness in her voice in order to really engrain the message into her head. 

Maggie nodded, feeling her distress melt away immediately. It relieved her to know that she had nothing to worry about, and she knew that all of it would blow over. 

“You should apologize to her,” Maggie said as she turned her body back into Jamie and yawned. 

All Jamie could do was nod in agreement, and she placed a kiss on Maggie’s forehead. “I think it’s time for bed, Sprout.” 

  
  


* * *

Jamie opted for silence instead of music to match the somberness of her loneliness in the dark hours. She sat in the dark on the couch, knees tucked close to her, and her eyes latched on the clock. Watching it diligently as it ticked away. She knew Dani was supposed to be home an hour before, and she was growing increasingly worried that she wasn’t going to return. She nibbled at her nail as she anxiously waited, the hope in the pit of her stomach disappearing with each passing moment. Jamie couldn’t believe she screwed up so bad to cause this. She felt so incredibly remorseful that she felt she could dissolve into a fit of tears. 

Just as she was about to sink into a bout of sobs, the lock of the front door turned, no click because Jamie had left it unlocked as she had anticipated this moment for hours. 

In the darkness, Dani emerged, immediately slipping off her heels before turning the light switch. And as the light brightened the room, she caught sight of Jamie who was sitting just staring at her. Eyes wide with nerves and teeth biting at her bottom lip. 

“Jesus!” Dani gasped as she placed a hand on her chest; the sight of Jamie just sitting there startled her senseless. 

“Hi,” Jamie mumbled, not having the ability to muster much else. 

“Hi,” she responded passively as she carried on with putting her things away, completely ignoring Jamie. She was still tender from their argument, so she had nothing to say to Jamie. Passing her wife, Dani sauntered towards the stairs. Jamie’s eyes followed her, and she could feel the lump forming in her throat from Dani’s disregard. 

She hopped off the couch and met up with her, standing in front of Dani, so she couldn’t get past. “Can we talk?”

“About what?” she questioned with a monotone. She was well aware of what Jamie wanted to talk about, but she was much too tired to initiate that conversation. That mess was for Jamie to fix, not her. 

“About what happened, Dani,” she whispered, and just when she thought she was going to keep her composure, her lip was trembling. Her head fell, gaze averted to the ground as she felt tears puddle in her eyelids. “I’m so sorry, Dani. I can’t even begin to tell you how bad I feel. I just… I’m… Fuck Dani, I’m so sorry,” she said shakily, her voice turning to a sob towards the end.   
  
Dani watched her wife crumble and she hated the sight of it. She stepped forward and hesitantly reached out for her. 

Dani’s finger lifted Jamie’s chin so she could meet her beloved green eyes, to read them for sincerity. Luckily, she found it. It was all there, the love, the regret, and the shame. “I know,” Dani said simply, a small smile creeping at the corner of her mouth. 

Jamie shook her head. “No, I fucked up, Dani. You shouldn’t be forgiving me. Dani I...” 

“No, it was stupid,” Dani interrupted, looking deep into Jamie’s eyes. “I’m sorry too. I know this hasn’t been easy for you, and I should have been more mindful.” 

Jamie continued to shake her head in disagreement, even as she was being pulled into Dani’s embrace. “No, you did nothing wrong, Dani. I was being ignorant and petty… ” she practically sobbed into her hair, arms coming to hold Dani tight. Relaxing into a hold that she had missed so much. 

“It’s okay,” Dani hushed as Jamie rambled, kissing the side of her face. 

“And I love you so much, and I’m so proud of you,” she said earnestly. 

Dani pulled back and looked at Jamie. “You think I’d ever doubt that for a second, Jamie? We had a stupid fight, and I missed you the whole night. Jamie, I can’t even be mad at you. I don’t really know how to be,” she laughed. 

Jamie nodded as she tried to catch her breath, and just as she had, Dani was pressing her lips to hers. Kissing her softly and tenderly. 

They hear a delighted huff from above them, and they both look over to see Maggie gazing down at them from the upper level, a smug smile adorning her face, leaning over the mezzanine. She looked beyond happy to see her mother’s had made up, choosing to believe it was her who had gotten them to make up. After all, she had told Jamie to apologize and happened to send quite a few motivating texts to Dani while she was gone. She’s felt like the world's greatest mender. However, her part was small in all of it, Dani and Jamie purely made up because of the immense love they had for one another. A love that was so strong that it could never tear them apart. 

“Oi, you cheeky thing, go back to bed,” Jamie laughed and in a fit of giggles, Maggie ran off to her room again, letting her mothers have their moment. 

The three of them shouted their goodnights and I love you’s in the night before the two women gazed back at one another, musing at the sights before them. “I love you,” Jamie sighed as she pressed her forehead to Dani’s. 

“Yeah, I know,” Dani breathed, grinning as Jamie looked at her, displeased with the reply. Dani gave her a sweet smile. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more Dani and Jamie central here. We needed a little angst, but we’ll return to our regular fluff hours next time. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before their daughter’s birthday, Dani and Jamie, feeling bad about not having given her a sibling, have quite the surprise in store for her.

**July 2014**

**“** Moms!” Maggie yelled out, “I’m home.” She pulled the hair tie from her hair, letting her long blond hair fall in waves, and she peeled off her sneakers, absentmindedly tossing them to the side. She had just returned from soccer practice, and she was sunken in exhaustion. She was spent and found herself only having the energy to meander through the house. 

However, through her tiredness, a tinge of excitement resided in her core because it was the day before her thirteenth birthday. The birthday she claimed was the most important. The day she’d finally be a grown-up, at least to some extent. Of course, her mothers didn’t believe that for a second, always taunting her about being their baby forever. She pretended to hate it, just a bit of the signature teenage, or pre-teenage, attitude, but deep down she loved it. 

“Mia’s mom said she can take me to practice again next week,” she shouted as she made her way to the living room. She waited for a reply, but she didn’t get one. She shrugged, not thinking much of it. They’d be down any minute like they always did. 

She passed the mirror in the hallway and jumped at the sight from her peripheral, hair frizzed from the effort she pulled at practice, and the bridge of her abundantly freckled nose was reddened by the sun.  _ Mom’s gonna kill me,  _ she thought as she tapped the tender, blushed skin there, wincing at the soreness. It was the cruel reminder of her whining out the door trying to reassure her mom she’d put sunscreen on. Obviously, she did not. 

She examined her awkward scrawniness and huffed. She flexed her arms and scowled in the mirror, growling as she tried to make herself appear tougher. It wasn’t so successful as evident by Maggie’s laugh. Once realizing how much she resembled a twig – long legs, nearly dangling arms – she gave up on the idea of looking rugged in any way. She was nearly the tiniest thing in the world, just like her mom was. She may have been tiny, but she was bold. She got that from her mother too. A soft exterior with quite the brave and mighty interior. On the other hand, there were times where she could look so mean and daring, only to dissolve into something so soft and delicate on the inside. That was all Jamie. 

Maggie looked around herself once she noticed how silent the house was, raising an eyebrow at the oddness of it. She was used to some noise happening when she got home. Music playing, clanking from the kitchen, talking – but it was dead silent. 

“Mom,” she called out as she rounded the corner to approach the back door; she looked all over the yard from the door. Looking for either of them in the garden. She came up with nothing. She turned towards the stairs, jogging over to and up them, two at a time. Every opened door turned up empty. 

“Mum!” she tried, but she got no response. She put her hands to her hips and shook her head. “Where are you?” she muttered. 

Then it clicked. They were probably at the shop. The idea was promptly debunked when she checked her phone, and it was much past closing time. She itched at her temple and looked around. “Nice, they disappear the day before my birthday,” she mumbled under her breath. “Probably got kidnapped.” 

As if on cue, she could hear keys jangling from the other side of the door. She ran down the stairs to greet her mothers. The door opened slightly, and she could hear faint whispering sounding so secretive. Jamie’s head emerged from the door to look around and she spotted Maggie. She went wide-eyed and panicked, seizing in her spot like a deer in headlights. Then, she disappeared behind the door once again. 

“Shite,” Jamie cursed. “Back out, back out,” she said swiftly in a chuckle to whoever was behind her, and the other person was giggling in response, sounding so giddy. She recognized that laugh, it was just her mom. So distinctively Dani’s laugh, and from it, she knew they were up to something. That and their frantic whispering and fumbling noises from beyond the door was a telltale sign. 

“Mum?” Maggie questioned as she crept closer, listening for any more whispering to see if she could catch any hints. “What are you doing?” 

Maggie tried to look around the door, but it was closed enough where couldn’t see anything. She rose one eyebrow and pursed her lips. 

“Weirdos,” she scoffed under her breath. 

Finally, Dani emerged alone, shutting the door swiftly behind her and leaning against it as if to keep whatever was out there precisely remaining out there. She gave her daughter a smile, one that was meant to distract and display innocence. Yeah, she was surely up to something. And all of the pent up curiosity in Maggie was beginning to seep out. She was trying to get over to the door to see outside, but Dani stood in front of the knob to prevent her. Turned out her mothers were very sneaky, and it was making her impatient. 

“What are you guys doing?” she repeated, as Dani led Maggie by the shoulder away from the door. Maggie hesitated under her mother’s guidance and kept her eyes on the door. 

“How was practice?” Dani asked, changing the subject. Very much like her mother to do that, and Maggie could read it like a book. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at Dani, crossing her arms. 

“You’re up to something,” she claimed, brows raised, lips slightly pursed. Dani smiled adoringly as she realized exactly who she looked like with that expression painted on her face. Just happened to be a spitting image of Jamie. A skeptical and astute Jamie, trying so hard to replicate her sternness. 

“Who?” she asked as she looked around dramatically as if there would be anyone else in the room, then returning her eyes to Maggie. “Me? Never!” Dani replied guiltlessly, as she gestured to herself. A characteristic, minute squeak in her voice gave her away completely. Maggie could tell she was lying, and she knew there was some kind of plot that she was left out of. It could only mean one thing: it was a plot meant for her, so she could accept the fact that she couldn’t know about it just yet. She felt suddenly excited that she may be on the brink of surprise. 

Maggie squinted at her. “Also, you did not tell me where you were, young lady,” Maggie scolded jokingly, finger pointed sternly at Dani. Her face had scrunched into a mean glare. 

“Oh hush,” Dani chuckled as she tugged Maggie by the back of the head until she was close enough for her to place a kiss on the top of her head. Then she lifted Maggie’s chin swiftly, examining her face, a faint  _ tsk  _ leaving her lips. “Mags, I told you to put sunscreen on,” she gently reprimanded as her thumb came up to softly touch her burned nose. 

Maggie rolled her eyes and wiggled her face from Dani’s grasp. “It’s not even that bad,” she reassured and leaned back into Dani, whose hand came around to hold her shoulder, a fond shake of her head following. Maggie’s arm snaked around her waist. Together, they walked the rest of the way to the living room. 

Dani gestured at the couch, “Sit,” she said simply. 

Maggie did as told, almost vibrating with excitement as she started to take the hint of a surprise coming soon. She became more eager as Dani gave her that coy smirk she always gave when she was trying to keep from spilling a secret. 

“What?” 

“Oh, you’ll see,” Dani replied, looking behind herself as she waited for Jamie to join them, hearing the door open again. 

“Got her cornered?” Jamie called from her spot just behind the front door. 

“Yeah, come on,” Dani laughed and Jamie walked in, making her way over carefully with a medium-sized box in her hand. Just a simple brown, moving box, top opened slightly. Jamie kept her eye on its contents as she made her way over. 

Once they were standing next to one another, Dani and Jamie looked at their daughter who was waiting anxiously for their presentation. They eyed each other, silently urging the other to introduce the contents of the box. Jamie gave her a furrowed brow and a gesturing nod as to make Dani do it. 

Dani shook her head, doing the same nod as to remind her that it was her idea so the reins were all hers. Jamie sighed, knowing she lost that battle. It was up to her. Knowing she wanted to make it special, she prepared herself for an improvised speech.

“So… we got you something. Obviously, since it’s your birthday tomorrow. And we were meaning to give it to you tomorrow,” she said before pausing to itch the back of her head, steadying the box as best as possible with one hand. She was nervous, mostly because she didn’t want the gift to be disappointing. It was likely the most important gift they’d give Maggie. She sighed again before continuing, “but I don’t think we’d be able to hide it until then. Because if we did it would probably…”

Once she saw how impatient Maggie was getting through a bouncing knee and eyes that were nearly rolling into the back of her head, Dani elbowed Jamie gently as to stop her rambling, a little urging nudge to help her get to the point. Jamie caught the insinuation and cleared her throat. “And we know how much you wished you had a sibling,” she said. She looked over at Dani. “But your Mum’s ancient so we couldn’t give you one,” she joked. 

Dani’s mouth fell agape, brows furrowed as she playfully swatted at Jamie’s arm. Her face dissolved into a scoffed chuckle. She shook her head and looked over at Maggie, giving her a soft smile. “Yeah, sorry about that, sweet girl,” she said with a wink. 

Maggie, who was calming her laughter from Jamie’s joke, shrugged at Dani’s apology. Not caring so much about her lack of siblings. Sure, when she was five and saw all of the other kids at school with their brothers and sisters, she had a little bundle of jealousy and longing in her heart. And like most children do when it comes to something they want, she became adamant about having a sibling. Begging and pleading with her mothers. In a letter to Santa, even, she begged for one. Jamie and Dani almost gave in too when she was nearly lamenting over how unfair it was that she couldn’t have a brother. It about broke Jamie and Dani’s heart, but they knew they couldn’t give that to her. And, as selfish as they thought it was, they didn’t want to. They were content with only having Maggie, so they were keen on making the decision to remain a family of three. 

Luckily, however, Maggie got over it. Easily too when her mothers gave her a whole talking to about how special she was, and how much they didn’t want to have to share their love with another. From then on, she liked being an only child. Shamelessly, she liked being the center of her parent’s attention too. However, she had recently confided in Dani about being a bit lonely. Wishing she could have someone around all the time. Dani, feeling awful and a bit regretful then, told Jamie. The latter decided it was time to give her a companion. 

Jamie leaned down and planted the box on the floor, slowly folding back the flaps that were sticking up. 

Maggie was leaning over, almost falling off the edge of her seat to try and get a peek at what was inside. She hadn’t had the slightest clue of what it could be based on her mum’s little tangent. 

Before revealing what was inside, she gave Maggie a smirk. “Happy birthday, love,” she smiled as she lifted the tiniest kitten out of the box, meowing so quietly at the sudden change of scenery. Its orange fur was long, abundant, and frizzed with eyes that were a vibrant emerald. Its ears were disproportionately big with the rest of the cat’s head, and they had little peaks of fur growing from the tips of them. 

Maggie gasped and jumped from her seat, about falling over herself as she rushed over to see the kitten. “No way!” she exclaimed as she took the kitten into her arms, able to bottle her excitement for a moment in exchange for a behavior that was more docile. She held the kitten as if it were the most fragile and precious thing in the world. Her eyes welled with the most elated and touched tears, and she looked at her mothers, grinning so wide that her cheeks were aching. 

“She’s mine?” Maggie tearfully asked as she held the kitten next to her face, nuzzling into her soft fur. The cat giving a squeaking meow in response. She’d been bringing up getting a cat for years by then, slipping it into the conversation here and there. Never did she think it would actually happen. 

“All yours, sweet girl,” Dani smiled as she stroked Maggie’s arm softly. Jamie leaned forward and kissed Maggie’s forehead. 

“Thank you so much,” Maggie said, looking back and forth between Dani and Jamie. Before leaning forward to hug her mothers, she set the kitten on the floor to let her roam around, get her bearings a bit in her new home. She pranced around hesitantly, pausing to examine new things in her environment. 

“You better thank her,” Dani said, before Maggie came in for a hug, her thumb pointed at Jamie. “It was her idea.” 

“Oh, no... your Mum…” Jamie began, not wanting to take full responsibility because of her sheer humbleness, but before she could finish, Maggie was enveloping her in a hug. She squeezed her tightly with love and gratitude.

Jamie softened in the embrace and held her daughter close to her, resting her cheek on Maggie’s head. The knowledge that she had done right by her daughter was extremely gratifying. It always felt so rewarding to see Maggie happy. And she felt like the luckiest woman to be able to be the one who gave that to her. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Maggie whispered before pulling back to look up at Jamie, their smiles matching one another’s. 

Dani looked on, grinning at the sweet moment between Jamie and Maggie. She felt a little sting in her heart when she came to the realization that Maggie was getting older. Biting her lip, she thought about the fact that her daughter, her baby girl, was so close to being a teenager. So big,  _ too big _ , she thought. She shook her head out of the thoughts and internally scolded herself over how silly she was being. Reminding herself of how lucky she was, to be there whatsoever with a family so perfect was a gift of a lifetime. She felt so honored to have a girl like Maggie that she got to raise and watch grow. 

She was tugged from her daydreaming when Maggie grabbed her arm and kissed her cheek. 

“Thank you too, Mama,” she smiled. 

Dani simply replied by smoothing out Maggie’s hair and moving the pieces that had come to cover her face, letting her hand slide down to cup her chin. She gave her an adoring simper as she looked at just how much she’d grown before letting her go, aware that she was anxiously awaiting to take her new companion up to her room.

Maggie did just that. She grabbed the kitten and scurried upstairs, yelling a final, “Thank you!” before disappearing into her room. She was totally captivated by the new pet that Jamie and Dani wouldn’t see her again until late that night. 

* * *

  
  


“It makes me sad, Jamie,” Dani whispered in their bed, her body pressed close to Jamie and her arm tightly locked around her middle. Jamie’s hand was laced with Dani’s, and it seemed as though she was asleep. And if she was, the sound of her wife’s voice was enough to wake her back up. 

“Hm?” Jamie mumbled tiredly, body stretching with a sigh as she braced herself to remain awake longer to hear whatever Dani was about to say. Her exhaustion kept her from opening her eyes, but she was all ears. 

“That she’s growing up,” she sighed, burying her forehead in the gap between Jamie’s shoulder blades. 

“She’s not much of our baby anymore,” Jamie mumbled sleepily, her thumb finding a part of Dani’s hand to brush lightly. She could tell Dani was falling into one of her pits of sadness, and she knew little comforting touches could bring her out of it. 

“It’s just… I don’t know, Jamie. She was so little and now she’s so smart and so big. I don’t know what happened.” 

“She grew up. She’s our little teenager now,” Jamie said, looking at the clock to see if she was right by that statement, only to see it read  _ 11:30 PM.  _ “I guess not quite a teenager, but soon.” 

Dani gave a disapproving sound. “Not until tomorrow afternoon. 12:17. If I’m remembering correctly, I think I was there,” she said. 

“You sure you were there? I thought it was another lady,” Jamie replied, playing off of Dani’s joke, smirking to herself. 

“Oh really? Hm, must have not been me who birthed our daughter thirteen years ago then. My bad.” 

Jamie dissolved into a fit of breathy laughter, turning over to face her wife. “I still can’t believe you did that you know? I got to watch that... with my own two eyes.”

“I bet you were mortified,” Dani chuckled, shaking her head at the memory of a very stunned and nervous Jamie the day their daughter was born. 

“About broke my hand,” Jamie said as she rose up the hand that Dani happened to be squeezing the life out of that day. Dani took it into her grasp and kissed her knuckles, a sweet attempt at an overdue apology. Jamie smiled at her. “Not mortifying in the slightest. It was the best day of my...” 

Two distinct knocks at their door interrupted their moment, and both of their necks craned up to look at the door that slowly opened. Maggie entered, the light of the hallway illuminating her figure, and the figure of the small kitten, who she had proudly named Leo only hours earlier, tucked in her elbow.

“I can’t sleep,” she whispered, sauntering over. The way their daughter stood at the foot of the bed, eyes pleading, reminded them of her as a little girl. Doing just the same when she’d had a nightmare or insisted there was a monster under her bed. 

Dani, who had propped her head up by her elbow, patted the middle of the bed, the space that still belonged to Maggie whenever she decided to take it up. The girl climbed onto the bed and settled between them. Leo, still skeptical of the two women, remained at the foot of the bed and curled up into a little ball. 

Jamie, in the same exact position as Dani, looked down at Maggie. “Can’t sleep, huh?” 

She shook her head. “Too excited I think,” she said. 

Dani yawned, making a noise of understanding within it. She played with Maggie’s hair gently and gazed at her. “You got a big birthday tomorrow,” she smiled. 

“I’m so old,” Maggie groaned, her hands coming down in a slap to cover her face. 

“If you’re old, we’re nearly mummified then,” Jamie laughed and Maggie peeked through her hands to look at her mum. A faint chuckle seeping through the palms that were over her mouth. 

“You’re still our baby,” Dani reminded, knowing her remark would spark a tinge of annoyance in Maggie. She couldn’t deny how amusing Maggie’s grumble and soft glare was.

“Am not,” Maggie said, the exact face Dani was expecting marking her features.

“I’d reckon you could pass for one too,” Jamie jested, garnering an offended gasp from Maggie.

“You guys are so mean,” she huffed, sitting up to leave; although, she knew she wasn’t going anywhere. She just liked taking part in the teasing too. 

Dani and Jamie simultaneously pulled Maggie by her shirt until she laid down again.

“No, don’t go,” Dani laughed, giving Maggie a pouting lip when she looked over at her.

Both women curled in closer to their daughter; Dani’s arm wrapped around her middle. 

“You’re getting too big, Mags,” Dani sighed.

Maggie nodded with a face smug with triumph as if it were the greatest compliment she’d ever received.

“Then I’m going to grow up, go off to college and then buy a big house in California,” she said, so sure of herself and her future. She’d often daydream about being an artist living in the hills of California with her friends and cats, so many cats. The goal was one Jamie and Dani both adored, often wondering how a girl like her had come from them. So grounded, determined, and free. 

“Why do you and your mum like to constantly remind me of this?” she laughed, shaking her head as she thought about all the times Jamie would woefully go on about Maggie going off and doing her own adult things even though it would always nail an aching tinge in Dani’s chest. “You can live here forever if you want.” 

“I don’t think so. I’ll visit though,” Maggie giggled as she closed her eyes with a yawn.

Dani gave her a smile .“Alright, alright.” 

Maggie turned over and curled into Dani, her breathing beginning to rest and even out. 

“It’s almost your birthday, Mags,” Jamie whispered as her palm rubbed her back, but there was no response. Maggie was fast asleep. 

“Blimey, that was quick,” Jamie said, her hand never stilling at Maggie’s back. 

“A lot like someone I know,” Dani smirked with a wink at Jamie who shrugged in knowing it was true. One moment Dani and she would be talking, the next she was out. 

Dani looked over at the clock behind Jamie.  _ 12:00 AM.  _ She grinned and looked down at the sleeping girl in her grasp. Somehow so grown but so small at the same time. A girl who prided herself on her maturity and independence but still found herself between her mothers at night a few times here and there. One year older with so many more to follow. 

“Happy Birthday, my sweet girl,” she whispered near Maggie’s ear, planting a kiss at her temple. 

Jamie scooched closer until Maggie was practically cocooned between them; she placed a kiss just at the back of her head. She laid an arm overtop both of them, her fingers softly brushing Dani’s waist. 

“You did that,” Jamie marveled softly. 

“Did what?” Dani laughed. 

“ _ That, _ ” Jamie smiled as her head gestured at Maggie. “Thirteen years ago…”

“Oh Jamie, I remember,” she laughed, eyes coming back down to muse at her daughter. “I guess I did, huh? My best work.”

Jamie grinned, her hand cupping Dani’s face. She wanted to kiss her, but with a being between them there was no way, so the hand would have to do. “I have to agree with that one,” she said. 

With a final yawn, Dani’s eyes became heavy until she was in the same sleeping state as her daughter. However, Jamie couldn’t sleep; she couldn’t even peel her eyes from the two people before her. Amazed, even still after so many years, that her life came down to that. To think she was once a child so hopeless and emotionally downtrodden, then a woman so forbidding and lonely. She knew that part of her would continue to reside in her core, it would always be there to nip at her as a cruel reminder, but she’d endure it because of where it led her to. To say she was grateful for who she had become and what she had was an understatement. She’d often admire the two most important pieces in her life in awe. Not once over the years did she feel that wonderment and admiration for her wife and daughter falter. She’d still take a moment to pinch herself as if it were all a dream, because as a child, something like that, so peaceful and joyous was only ever a fragment of her imagination. 

And as she looked at the two blondes before her, practically cradling one another, she closed her eyes as if willing the universe to wake her up, so she could wake and realize it was all a dream. Certainly, it was a cruel and unwanted fate, but she reasoned it was better to accept it and force herself to move on. Because if she were to wake up and realize none of it was real, everything would make sense given she had never felt she deserved a fortune such as that. But when her tightly-squeezed, green eyes relaxed and fluttered back open, her irrational thoughts dissipated with a long sigh. For Dani and Maggie, her two most important people were still there. Close to her and beautiful, so, so beautiful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this one! It was so fun to write, and I think we needed a little fluff after the last chapter. I’m unsure how many chapters we have left, but there should be at least three more. 
> 
> I love hearing from you guys and thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their daughter is now 15, and Jamie and Dani get to navigate Maggie's new crush, her first real one in fact. Jamie is cool, calm, and collected, but Dani... not so much.

**February 2017**

The chime of the door had Jamie’s head perking up to see whoever was entering her store, letting the sales persona bubble up in preparation. Before she could process who it was, she spouted a cheery, “Welcome,” only to have the sheerness of her voice falter into her more comfortable tone, “Oh... hi,” she smiled as she recognized the person walking in. 

Dressed in a pair of cuffed blue jeans, black leather boots, and a half-tucked in yellow sweater, Maggie swiftly made her way to the counter, jumping over it to get to the other side even though the entrance was only a foot away. Maggie was always extreme about her appearances, always had to make them count. She also loved the way it annoyed Jamie. The way she’d swat at her and immediately reprimand her. 

As Maggie dropped her backpack to the ground, she popped her cheek out for a greeting kiss, and Jamie, who’d just picked up two vases of flowers to place in the shop, sighed as she was forced to abruptly stopped in her tracks to oblige. She placed a quick kiss on her cheek before passing her.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Jamie commented as she placed the vases on the central display. She eyed Maggie from over her shoulder as her fingers went about positioning leaves and petals. She was met with a bright grin, almost blushing, from her daughter. In one swoop Maggie swept her long, blonde waves behind her shoulder and, with elbows propped on the counter, she settled her chin into her perfectly valleyed hands. 

“Say, Mum,” she began, clearing her throat as a way to contemplate how to word her next sentence without getting the response she wanted to avoid. Wanted to avoid like it was the plague. “If, and I mean _if,_ I wanted to give flowers to someone, which ones would say _I like you_?” she asked, squinting as she finished because she could already feel the teasing retort from Jamie brewing. 

Her eyes squeezed shut in earnest regret when Jamie’s mouth fell agape and a certain glint flooded her eyes. Jamie gasped mockingly as if she were a schoolgirl, and she made her way to the counter again, taking a moment on her path to ensure no one was going to come in to interrupt her and Maggie’s conversation. She leaned against the counter and looked at Maggie, about losing her composure at the way she was looking like she was regretting every word she just said. She could already read the embarrassment on her features. 

“Does Maggie have a crush?” Jamie played, poking at her daughter’s shoulder. 

Maggie’s cheeks blushed bright pink, and she took in a deep breath before darting her eyes up to the ceiling, as far away from her mother as she could get them. 

“You’re acting like Mom,” she groaned and rolled her eyes before letting them settle back on Jamie, giving her a stern glare. “Very annoying.”

Jamie dissolved into laughter and shook her head. “Well, that is insulting… to me,” she joked. 

Maggie scoffed, giving her mum the eye before leaning back to look at all of the flowers lining the back of the counter. “So, are you going to help me, or what?” she asked, a bit of force in her voice as she crossed her arms. 

Jamie rose her hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. So you like this… person,” she said as she twisted her mouth to ponder. “I’d say a bundle of Hyacinthe,” Jamie offered as she pulled a few out of a vase. Beautiful blue and white flowers. She placed them back in their vases as another few flowers caught her eye. “Or there are pansies and carnations,” she said, smiling as she held up the purple and yellow pansies in one hand, the pink carnations in the other. 

“What do they mean?” Maggie asked as she took one of the carnations, her favorite of the two, and lifted it to her nose to smell. 

“The pansy. It means adoration… and self-expression. It’ll show this person of yours that you’re committed,” she said as she handed one to Maggie. “And the carnation. It means admiration, at least the pink ones do. They can mean bravery too.”

Maggie admired the way her mother could talk about flowers. She could probably do it for hours. Even after doing it every day for so many years, it looked like she could happily do it for a hundred more. 

She looked back and forth between the two. She settled on the carnation and handed the pansy back.

“I like this one,” Maggie smiled. Jamie handed her a couple more and pulled out a few more of another dark pink flower. “Better give ‘em one of these too. It’s a begonia. Means something like having a deep connection with someone. I used to give them to your mum way back when. With roses and carnations; the whole thing.” Jamie attempted to bite back her reminiscing smile, but her half-crooked grin fought through. 

“Does Jamie have a crush?” Maggie squealed in a mocking tone, hopping a bit in fake excitement.

“Oh shut up,” Jamie scoffed as she grabbed a sheet of brown paper and ribbon for Maggie’s flowers. “She most certainly does. You should see this girl too. She’s blonde, absolutely gorgeous, and works at the high school.” Then she glared at Maggie sternly with a pointed finger. “And you cannot tell your mum about it, whatsoever,” she joked, face softening to her impish smirk. 

Maggie zipped an invisible zipper over her lips and threw out an invisible key, saluting Jamie and standing straight. She was always entirely willing to play along with her mother’s witty jokes. And they were abundant too, and this wasn’t the first time she joked about another woman only for the description to perfectly match Dani. It was her signature joke. 

Both of them fell into a fit of shared laughter, Jamie shaking her head and grabbing the flowers from Maggie. 

“Where’s your mum, anyway? She know you’re here?” Jamie looked over at Maggie as she started the process of delicately and pristinely tying them up. She’d done it so many times she could do it perfectly without even looking. 

“She has another meeting. I got bored waiting, so I came here. And I’m supposed to go see Cameron, so I… needed the flowers before that…” she said, fumbling and fidgeting with her fingers towards the end when she uttered the name of her crush. A whole flock of butterflies making rounds in the pit of her belly. 

“Cameron, huh? Have I met this Cameron?” Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling herself grow a bit more excited to hear more about this person. 

“You most certainly have not, and you won’t be any time soon.” 

“And why is that?” Jamie scoffed offendedly.

“I am not bringing Cam to the principal’s house. That’s mortifying.”

“Bring ‘em here,” Jamie offered as she handed Maggie the bundled flowers. 

“Are you going to ask me?” Maggie questioned, hand sliding into her pocket. She’d grown amused by her mother using a neutral pronoun. She found it very impressive that she never fell into assumptions. Neither she nor Dani would. But of course, mothers know. They always know. But they’d never push it. Not until Maggie wanted to make it clear. And it wasn’t like it mattered in the slightest anyway. They’d know sooner or later. 

“Ask you what?” Jamie gave her a face, one that read just how lost she was. 

“If they’re a boy or a girl,” Maggie smirked, knowing she was only teasing her mother now. 

Jamie simply shrugged. “I’ll know if you ever bring the kid to meet us. We won’t be _that_ embarrassing; I promise,” she replied genuinely. 

Maggie squinted her eyes in skepticism. “I’ll think about it,” she said before turning for the door. She blew a kiss to her mother. “I will see you in the eve, my darling mother,” she said in a posh, flowing British accent, almost as bad as Dani’s, but she had a far more experienced coach in Jamie to show her just exactly how to use that accent correctly. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jamie shouted as she hurried over with two red roses tied with a bundle of baby’s breath. “Give these to your mum, won’t you? Tell her it’s from the florist.” 

Maggie gave her a sickened face. “Gross,” she sneered as she faked a gagging sound. She softened into a snorted chuckle when she watched her mother roll her eyes. 

“Don’t be such a twit, go on,” Jamie said as she urged her out the door, the fond insult making Maggie gasp and put a hand to her chest. 

“How dare you?” she breathed with a smirk. Jamie only responded with a shake of her head. 

Pushing her gently out the door, then Maggie was jogging down the street. Obviously very excited to get where she was going. 

“Love you, Mags!” Jamie called, leaning against the doorframe of the shop, watching her fifteen-year-old daughter run down the street back to the high school. 

“Love you too, Mum!” she shouted back as she waved, running backward to face Jamie for a moment. She held the flowers up like a trophy. “Thanks for the flowers!”

* * *

Trudging up the stairs, she looked behind herself at Dani who was just beginning to run up the stairs, reaching her hands out for her in a taunting manner, snickering with her nose scrunched. Jamie’s eyes widened at the sight, knowing just exactly what was coming next. 

“Don’t you dare,” Jamie warned as she tried hurrying up the stairs before Dani could catch up to her, but Dani got her once they were at the top. She snaked two arms around her waist and dove her face into the crook of Jamie’s neck, leaving breathy, sloppy, and tickling kisses there that had Jamie falling into a fit of roaring laughter. She writhed in Dani’s hold as she tried to get away, especially as hands began to dance and squeeze at her sides. “Dani, please. You’re gonna give me a stroke,” she squealed. 

Dani pulled back and spun Jamie to face her. “Not funny,” she said as she pressed a kiss to her lips, hands firmly placed at her shoulders. 

“Kinda funny?” Jamie asked, shrugging slightly. 

“Not even in the slightest,” Dani smiled as she pulled Jamie into a few more kisses. The sound of Maggie’s loud talking pulled them apart quickly. 

Jamie looked behind herself where Maggie’s door was. She looked much more curious than she regularly was, but she found she was deeply interested in whoever that Cameron was, so she was hoping whoever she was talking to was them.

With a daughter who was reaching the age of a more serious love life, she couldn’t help but grow a bit concerned about the new person. She wanted to ensure that whoever it was, was decent enough, to say the least. She wouldn’t accept anything less for her daughter. 

“What are you looking at?” Dani asked.

“She’s got a crush,” Jamie whispered. 

“My baby has a crush?” Dani frowned. “Who is it?” 

“A kid named Cameron.”

“Do we know this Cameron?” Dani asked, voice now tinged with interest.

“Well you do, Miss Principal,” Jamie said as she faced Dani again. 

“Oh, I probably do. Cameron… Cameron?” she sighed, her eyes looking up in contemplation. “Cameron, hm. I don’t think I know this Cameron…” she said. 

“How can you not, Dani?” Jamie huffed, almost whining. 

“Babe, you act like there are 5 kids in that school. She’s got 300 in her class,” she laughed. 

“Fine.”

“She’ll tell us soon enough,” Dani muttered, trying to be content with that understanding. 

“Okay, okay!” Maggie screeched from her room, the sound of more voices coming from her phone could be heard. But they were muffled by the door and distance. “The what? Oh, the flowers? Cam liked the flowers,” Maggie giggled. The kind of giggle that sounded so adoringly elated. 

“Flowers? What flowers?” Dani whispered, tailing Jamie as they both crept closer to the door. The both of them just instinctively started to eavesdrop, not really even processing that they’d done it. 

“I gave them to her. She came into the shop,” she hurriedly mumbled back to Dani. They stood around the corner of Maggie’s room, the perfect place to listen. 

“Did you kiss?” a muffled voice asked Maggie.  
  
“Maybe,” Maggie replied bashfully, Jamie could almost picture the grin on her face. The one that crinkled her nose and creased her eyes. She could envision it not only because she’d seen it on her daughter hundreds of times but she’d also spent the years before Maggie seeing it too. It was Dani’s grin through and through. “Yeah, we so did!”

Squealing laughter followed, and Maggie’s signature proud laughter starkly contrasted the ones coming from her friends. 

Simultaneously, Jamie and Dani reacted:

“Blimey, they kissed?” Jamie breathed in a proud chuckle.

“Oh god, they kissed?” Dani groaned softly, a hand coming to her face as she let out noises that sounded nearly like sobs. 

“Jamie, I can’t do this,” Dani said with heightened misery as she tugged on her wife’s blouse. 

“Dani, calm down. She’s not a baby anymore. Listen to her, she’s so happy. Ah, I’m so proud. It was the begonias. I knew that would do it,” she grinned as she pressed her ear to the wall to listen in more. 

“Not a baby? God, this is the worst day of my life... She’s gonna get pregnant... Oh my god!” she about wailed, voice growing louder. 

Jamie’s eyes widened and she shook her head, letting a loud _shhh_ leave her lips. 

“Dani, what? You’re overreacting,” she spat lowly. “And don’t say that! That is the worst thing… wait… we don’t even know if the kid is… you know...”

Dani’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as if she were going to faint, and her head dropped backward. 

“God, if Cameron is a boy I’m killing myself,” Dani moaned, two hands coming to cover her face as her shoulders slumped. Jamie snorted at that, finding how mortified Dani was not only surprising but very amusing. 

But that time, they were a little too loud, enough to where Maggie could hear the fragments of voices outside of her door. 

“What the… Hey, I’ll call you back,” Maggie mumbled. 

Then the door swung open, and Maggie turned the corner. She caught sight of her mothers, both standing there; eyes wide, mouths open, and bodies seized. Looking so utterly guilty that Maggie could almost laugh, but she didn’t. No, she was livid. 

“What the hell?” she cursed. “Were you guys eavesdropping?” 

“Erm… hm, good question,” Jamie fumbled; her hands were suddenly awfully interesting at that moment. “We just, we… Uh yeah… yeah sorry.”

“You guys are the worst!” she groaned.

“We’re sorry, Maggie. We just… we worry,” Dani defended, her face painted with remorse. 

“Worry? Worry about what?” she scoffed. 

“Cameron,” both women replied in unison, eyes darting to each other as they were surprised by their identical response. 

“Cameron? Oh my god. Why do you guys treat me like I’m five?” 

“Maggie, I’m sorry. We’re sorry. Really. We won’t ever do it again. Just if you two ever... oh, we never had the talk. We need to have the talk, Maggie,” Dani said as if they hadn’t talked about that kind of thing nonchalantly a thousand times before over the years. Dani and Jamie were the types of mothers who answered a question completely and honestly with no shame, no matter what it was. So, over the years Maggie surely had gathered enough information. 

Maggie’s eyed rolled and she moaned in the most sincere embarrassment, dragging a hand down her face to hide it. 

“Dani,” Jamie laughed, Dani’s maternal fumbling was just about the most entertaining thing. She shook her head. “She already knows all that. Leave the poor girl alone. Come here.”

Maggie, who looked utterly horrified, couldn’t prevent the burning she felt on her cheeks as she dissolved into the most intense embarrassment. “I hate you guys, so much,” she whined, though she didn’t mean it. It was just her way of scolding her parents, really letting them know how much they crossed her. 

Jamie approached her and took her shoulders into her grasp. She was so used to looking down at her daughter, but they were the same height by then. Jamie reckoned she even had to look up a little at Maggie. “We just got curious, we’re sorry. Right, Dani?” 

Dani nodded, eyebrows still crooked with shame. She felt so guilty. They had always made sure to let Maggie do her own thing, always giving her privacy. So, she hated that she’d upset her daughter by crossing that line. 

“And we just want to make sure this Cameron is a good person. _And_ we need to make sure you have good taste, like us, so why don’t you tell us about this kid?” Jamie smirked as she pulled Maggie into her, arm around her shoulder. 

Maggie had softened into a smile, and she leaned into Jamie. “You guys are kinda awful, you know that?” she asked with a raised brow as she took Dani’s outstretched hand as they walked down the hallway towards her parent’s bedroom. Where they’d watch a movie and talk for the rest of the night. 

“Yeah, we know. Mum’s worse though,” Dani joked. 

“Oi, you think you’re so funny?” Jamie kicked her foot out and landed it right at Dani’s calf playfully. 

Maggie laughed loudly and tugged on Dani to bring her closer until they were all in line with one another, steps in sync, arms around shoulders and waists. 

“So what does this kid look like?” Jamie asked, eyes sincere and inquisitive as she looked over at Maggie. 

Maggie gasped and smiled, suddenly giddy as the image flooded her head. She felt she could melt just from thought alone. 

“So beautiful. The curliest black hair, and so tall. Like…” she jumped up, slicing her hand through the air to demonstrate Cameron’s height. “And these eyes, brown eyes. Oh my god. They’re like honey when the sun hits them, I swear...” 

As they entered their room, Dani and Jamie stayed behind as Maggie continued describing her crush, walking over to the bed and plopping her back onto it. 

“She’s whipped,” Dani chuckled softly in Jamie’s ear as she observed the way Maggie gushed in her tangent. 

Jamie placed a kiss on her cheek as she shut the door behind them. “Sounds awfully similar to when a certain au pair fell for an incredibly fit gardener.” 

Dani simpered at her and kissed her tenderly. “Yeah, something like that,” she sighed. 

Maggie scoffed, pulling Dani and Jamie from their moment. “Hey! Are you even listening? Stop flirting, and get over here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! This one was so fun to write. I wanted to keep Maggie's crush as ambiguous as possible to really portray how much sexuality just doesn't matter in this family. It was a little tough but worth it, I think. We have at least 2 one-shots left. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a good one!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An art show, a fight, a very brash uninvite, and a mother's stubbornness.
> 
> Also... a shameless plug. I wrote another Dani x Jamie one-shot if any of you want to give it a read: [Come With Me, My Love](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/27787291)

**January 2019**

The three of them sat at the table for dinner, happily mingling about their days, enjoying their time together. A night so peacefully content. Calm and filled with solitude just as their time together usually was. 

As their laughter over one of Maggie’s stories about Dani scolding a boy that morning at the school dissipated, Dani’s attention turned to Jamie who was focused on picking at her food. She could tell there was something up with her. It was evident in her elbow pressed on the table with her cheek rested against her palm on the table. Dani knew this Jamie just like she knew every other part of her. All that time together was quite the help in these times of studying Jamie. Even the slightest line in her brow could tell her all she needed to know. She could tell Jamie was stressed, tired even. 

Dani cleared her throat. “How about you, Jame, anything new today?” 

Jamie quickly looked up from her food and looked between her wife and daughter, shrugging as her gaze went back to Dani. 

“Not much. Same as always,” she said simply. She leaned back to ponder what else had happened that day that could match the seemingly unending excitement Dani and Maggie could get themselves into on the daily. 

“You remember Ted?” 

“I remember Ted. He’s the plant guy from New Haven,” Dani smiled fondly. 

Jamie nodded with a chuckle at the way Dani referred to people.  _ The plant guy _ . 

“He’s coming into town tomorrow. We talked about doing some business and he wants to do some negotiating over dinner.” 

“Tomorrow?” Dani questioned, face now falling to something more serious as opposed to the soft smile she had before. 

Jamie gave her a puzzled look. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

Immediately, the already attentively quiet table, grew quieter, awkwardly so. The clank of Maggie’s fork hitting her plate being the only sound that cut through the deafening silence. The creaking of her chair as she sat back was enough to express her sudden shift in emotion. 

Jamie looked at Maggie, whose lips were pursed and brows furrowed ever so slightly. It was a look she tried to avoid. One that a stranger would probably have to study for hours before coming to the conclusion that there was frustration behind it. One thing Maggie and Dani shared was the softness of their features. If they were angry, they never tensed or scrunched their faces to obviously express it. Instead, their faces would have the most subtle notes of anger within them. And because Jamie knew both of them better than she knew herself, she could see that look on Maggie’s face instantaneously. She’d screwed something up, and the little scratch of anxiety at her chest was beginning to make its way through in response. 

“My art show is tomorrow,” Maggie said bluntly as she cavalierly went back to eating her food. That action was one she inherited from Jamie through and through. The evident pretending there was nothing wrong to express that spark of passive aggression. To put forth the message that  _ you screwed this up, not me  _ in an attitude she knew well. 

Jamie shook her head as she darted her eyes between Maggie and Dani. “No. No, that’s on Friday,” she said, trying to reinstate some reassurance in herself. She couldn’t have possibly been that foolish that she messed up something so important. 

Maggie scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Thursday. Said that how many times over the last three months?” she asked with a sting to her words, eyes shooting to Dani, looking for some kind of defense in her. But Dani wasn’t one to get involved in Jamie and Maggie’s bickering. However, with its constant appearance as of late, it proved difficult having to silently watch on as it occurred. 

Dani lifted her wine glass to her lips, an attempt to seal her off, so she wouldn’t have to get involved. Her blue eyes shifted from Maggie and Jamie who were just silently eyeing each other. Jamie at one end with eyes looking sullen and guilty which deeply contrasted how tightly her lips were pursed in what appeared to be annoyance. Dani couldn’t tell if it was at herself or Maggie’s anger towards her. And there was Maggie, at the other end, her eyes seemed to be a bit darker. Just like herself, she could see the way emotion could get the better of Maggie through the reddening of her eyelids as tears welled up. Her jaw was protruded out and her nostrils softly flared. 

Jamie broke the eye-contact and cleared her throat, taking a sip of wine and lifting her eyebrows. 

“Then, I’ll just be a little late.” She ended it with a shrug as if it were the perfect solution to their problem, but when a huff came from her daughter across from her, she knew it wasn’t fixed. No, it was going to be an effort to fix. 

“A little late?” Maggie screeched, her whole face molding around the shock of the question. “But you… I told… You said…” she rambled furiously, voice escalating with each fumble. 

Jamie gave her a warning look that silently reprimanded her volume; however, Maggie ignored it. She would take the heat from her parents if it meant she could keep her opportunity to scold. 

“You said you would be there!” she spat. “You can’t be  _ a little late.  _ I told you this. Why can’t… You never remember!”

“I just got the days mixed up, Maggie. I’ll be there,” Jamie reassured through the last ounce of the cool she had. In her mind, the gears were cranking and spinning trying to figure out how she’d get herself there. She had to. She wouldn’t miss that for the world. The last thing she wanted was to let her down. Jamie hated empty promises and despised them more when they came from herself. 

“You will? You said that the last time. And the time before that. So, will you?” Maggie retorted. 

Jamie was taken aback by that accusation and couldn’t pull herself to believe she had a pattern of being absent. 

“Love, if I tell you I’ll be there then I’ll be there,” Jamie assured, voice wavering, and Maggie could hear it. She could distinctly hear that uncertainty, and it set her over. 

She shoved herself back in her chair, the effort causing the wooden legs to groan across the floor. She sat up, threw her napkin down, and leered at Jamie, shaking her head. She stormed off, muttering an “Every fucking time,” under her breath that was obviously directed at Jamie. 

Both women watched her go, listening to her stomp up the stairs and slam her door behind her. Then their eyes met, both stunned by their daughter’s outburst which they had never experienced before. Not like that, not that irate. 

Dani gestured her head in Maggie’s general direction, glass raising to her lips again. “That’s you.” An urge to get Jamie to go talk to her to somehow repair the little rut they had gotten themselves into. 

“Did I-? Dani, I don’t think I fucked up that bad…”

Dani nodded as she put a hand on Jamie’s. “Babe, I think you did. Now go talk to her.”

Jamie trudged off and Dani sighed as she watched her, mentally marking a tally to her log of arguments Jamie and Maggie had gotten themselves in. She wondered what had happened. She had gone the last seventeen years reveling in the relationship between Jamie and Maggie. They were tied to the hip, similar in almost every way. Maggie was certainly Jamie’s daughter, and there was compassion and admiration there on both sides. Jamie couldn’t help a grin that would take up her face with the pride she had for her daughter, and Maggie looked up to Jamie as her inspiration, a muse even. She saw her as the most amazing beam of a person in the world. She admired the way Jamie worked, the way Jamie loved, the way Jamie would push her to be her best. 

Dani was aware of all Jamie invested in making sure Maggie was happy and had everything she could ever need and want. And that dynamic between them, the shared adoration and gratitude, was so concrete that Dani was certain it would exist forever. 

But someone, somewhere, took a drill to that concrete and shattered it to pieces. In the last couple of months, it was as if Maggie couldn’t stand Jamie. Getting them to even spend an hour with each other was a chore in itself for Dani. And having to tolerate the way it confused and hurt Jamie caused pain in her too. It was heartbreaking to watch that fall away. All of the years of her two most important people having the most wonderful relationship.

Jamie knocked on Maggie’s door. “Can we talk?” 

The door flung open and Maggie stood before, still fuming, still hurt. “What?” she spat. 

The hiss of her words about had Jamie falling back, but she kept grounded and entered Maggie’s room, shutting the door behind her. 

“Can you cut the attitude?” 

Maggie exhaled through her nose and sat on her bed, looking up at Jamie. Crossing her arms, she waited for Jamie to say whatever she came in to say. 

“Mags,” she sighed as she sat beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder only to feel her daughter tense in return. She hesitantly removed her touch and looked away. “I’m sorry, love. I must have mixed up the days. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Maggie shook her head and bowed her head towards her lap. “But I’ve talked about this every day for months, Mum. Months! Do you know how important this is?” 

“I do know. I just wasn’t…”

“Listening,” Maggie finished. 

“No. No, I listen. I always listen,” Jamie insisted. 

Maggie looked up and toggled her eyes back and forth between her mother’s. “How could you if you’re not here?”

“What? What are you talking about?” 

“You’re always at the shop,” she said. 

“I’m not always at the shop,” Jamie said, voice growing defensive. 

“And when you’re at the shop you’re too irritated or busy to acknowledge me when I come to see you.”

Jamie repositioned herself so she was sitting a bit farther from Maggie. “Because I’m working. Maggie, you can’t come around every day and expect I can drop everything for a chat.” 

Maggie scoffed and shook her head. Her mother was missing the point. Miles away from the point really. And Maggie didn’t have it in her to spell it out for her. To put into words how upset she was at their distance, at the sudden sharpness in Jamie whenever they’d interact, the uninterest in her whenever she’d try to talk to her. It was an odd and unwelcome feeling, and she knew that if she did attempt to make it clear why she felt so hurt by her mother, it would only make her upset and defensive. 

“Forget it,” Maggie spat, turning away from Jamie in an effort to end their conversation. 

Jamie stood up and stood before Maggie. “No, we’re not doing that. We’re going to figure this out because I’m tired of this Maggie,” Jamie said sternly. 

“ _You’re_ tired?” Maggie questioned sharply then shook her head. “Mum, I haven’t done anything wrong!” 

“You haven’t? What’s with this attitude, then? And all of this arguing between you and me? I don’t get it. Either you cut it out, or we fix it right here, right now. I’m not leaving until we figure out something.” 

Jamie stared down at her vexed and irritated with her arms crossed, brows furrowed, and teeth nibbling at her lip. Under her glare, Maggie felt intimidated and struck down to the point that she felt herself crumbling. Maggie looked to her lap, gulping desperately to prevent the tears that were threatening to fall. A little trembling breath left her lips and it was enough to release her pent up emotion. Tears fell and the aching in her throat grew as she kept trying to swallow them down. 

Jamie’s entire demeanor relaxed and she stepped forward. Her heart felt tight in her chest once she realized she had made Maggie cry. She mentally cursed her short temper, and the anxiety of watching her daughter dissolve into some kind of sadness was a dull and aching pain she felt in her chest. 

Jamie crouched in front of Maggie and could do nothing for a few moments but watch her daughter become overcome with tears. Her hands planted on Maggie’s knees, and she tried to find those blue eyes, but they wouldn’t let her in. Upon catching sight of that wrung look on Maggie’s face and the tears that were dripping down her chin, Jamie knew this was her problem to fix. She was in the wrong here, and she felt deep regret for whatever she had done. She had no idea what it was, but she despised it nonetheless. If it was enough to make Maggie cry, the worst thing Jamie believed she could ever experience, then she hated it.

“Tell me, Mags. What did I do? Tell me, love,” Jamie spoke softly, nearly pleading, her thumb rubbing soothing circles over Maggie’s kneecap. 

Maggie twitched her knee to rid of Jamie’s touch. She didn’t want it, didn’t really even want Jamie in there.

“You’re never there!” Maggie stammered. 

“Maggie that isn’t true,” Jamie responded, still trying to gain some eye contact, but Maggie was persistent about averting her eyes. “Hey, Can you look at me?” Jamie asked with tenderness and sternness mixed within her voice. 

Slowly, a pair of eyes met hers. Eyes that were filled with anger and sadness. The sight alone was enough to make Jamie feel a knot building in her throat. She couldn’t believe she caused this. Made her child feel that way. 

“Maggie, I am always there. I never miss any…”

“Oh yeah? What about half of my games last year? You missed those! How about the other art show over the summer? These things matter to me, Mum!” she yelled. 

Jamie, who had somehow pushed those instances out of her mind, probably out of guilt, sighed as she recalled every one. 

Sure enough, she was absent, and each time Maggie was understanding or pretended to be. Even though she was disappointed, she would tell Jamie it was okay, and Jamie believed her. Obviously, because she had no idea just how much it affected her. 

With those kinds of things, conflict, Jamie could go either of two ways. It was a gamble really. No way to really know which route of reaction she would go down. Either, she’d be understanding and apologetic, would sit and listen for hours if it meant there was a resolution at the end. But the other end, the not so common and worst end, had Jamie growing defensive. Angry at accusations that were true, and she knew were true. But the very idea that she could ever achieve something so damaging or upsetting had her confusing personal exasperation with its outward counterpart. Well, the latter unearthed that night between her and Maggie.    


“Well what do you think I do all day, Maggie?” she questioned as she stepped back. “I have to miss things sometimes. I don’t get the big deal.”

Maggie looked up at her, forehead lined and skin turning a blushed pink as she grew more irate. That bundle of flames within her stomach was peaking and rising, and she was sure it was going to topple out soon. Overgrow and seep out into one of the grandest outbursts that girl had ever had. Because the very notion that her mother didn’t think any of those things were a big deal hurt. 

“The big deal?”

“Well,” Jamie said, stumbling on words as she tried to form a response. “Do you understand that I have to provide for us? I have to work, and I can’t always be there. You’re grown, Maggie; you’ll be fine.”

“I hate it when you do that!” she said lowly between gritted teeth. “It’s not my fault that you don’t show up!” 

“Magnolia! I do show up! A lot! A lot more than most parents!” Jamie snapped. 

With the use of her full name, that was it. The anger was seeping out and Maggie was gripping her bedspread. 

“I DON’T WANT YOU THERE ANYWAY!” she yelled, nearly at the top of her lungs. The volume in itself was enough to send Jamie backing up, staring down at Maggie on her bed with a craned back neck from shock. 

Maggie took a deep breath. “I don’t want you there,” she sighed, the last bit of her energy seemed to be taken from her outburst, and she could already feel the regret consuming her by rejecting her mother. But she persisted in all of her stubbornness. 

Jamie nodded slightly, eyes welling with tears. “‘Kay,” she mumbled and left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Dani opened the door of their bedroom and saw Jamie curled under their blankets. Sighing at the sight, she walked over and sat beside Jamie, her palm rubbing circles on her back. 

In response, Jamie sniffled and turned over to look up at Dani, eyes evidently puffed and nose pink from crying. Dani gave her a sympathetic frown and wiped at her tears with a thumb. 

“Am I really that detached, Dani?” she asked. 

Dani, not wanting to make her feel worse, simply shrugged. She knew how hard Jamie had been working recently because she was expanding their business. Making things bigger than they ever were, and it was an effort that proved to be time-consuming for Jamie. So, often she did come home late, and when she was home she was exhausted and unavailable. And Dani understood, could understand because she had that ability to see through Jamie. Could speak Jamie like a language only she knew. In fact, she admired and was thankful for all of her work and did all she could to support Jamie. 

But it was harder for Maggie. Harder for her to comprehend this empty space where Jamie used to reside. Her confidant, her shoulder to lean on through it all seemed to disappear. And Dani knew it was unfair, quite mean at the end of the day really, and she needed Jamie to know that. Know that Maggie always came first even if she was nearly an adult and going off to college, she was still that first priority. 

With the way Jamie laid there, sullen and wounded, Dani knew she had come to her senses. 

“I have been,” Jamie confirmed and sighed. “She doesn’t want me there tomorrow.”

“I heard,” Dani said as she laid beside Jamie, wrapping an arm around her. 

“I want to go, Dani,” Jamie whimpered as her palms came to cover her eyes in order to hide her oncoming tears. “Always want to go.” 

She groaned as her toughness was wounded through the tears that were falling, and she turned her face away from Dani. 

“I always… always fuck it up. I always- God, I can’t even be a good mum, Dani.”

Fingers gripped Jamie’s chin and turned her face over. Dani’s eyes were there to greet her. 

“Don’t say that, Jamie. You are a wonderful mother, and you know that. Hell Jamie, she told me she hated me a couple of years ago, so I think you’re winning here,” she chuckled reassuringly. But it wasn’t enough to cheer her up. Jamie still remained down and resistant. 

“But she didn’t mean it, Dani.  _ This _ . All this she means.”

Dani sighed, defeated.

“Jamie, I know one thing is certain. You love that girl more than anything in the world, and you know what to do. I know you do,” she said as she placed a kiss against Jamie’s temple. “And if I know one thing, she is her mother’s daughter, and she’s just being stubborn.”

Jamie shook her head and smiled. Maggie was stubborn, much like herself. 

“And there will be so many more art shows and exhibitions. You’ll be okay, Jamie.” 

She looked up at Dani and huffed through her nose. “I don’t think I will be.” 

* * *

The entire next day, Jamie was distracted. Couldn’t think about one thing besides her argument with Maggie. Couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what she could have said to change it all and have Maggie forgive her, so she didn’t get disinvited from the single most important event in Maggie’s life. 

And they most certainly did not make amends. It was evident in the way Maggie avoided her the entirety of the night and said not one word to her in the morning. Didn’t even look at her once. Every time Jamie tried to start a conversation, even open up an interaction where she could apologize, it was shot down. Either by Maggie excusing herself to go to school or just ignoring her.

At the shop, Jamie found herself looking up at the door with each rung bell to see if it was Maggie. Only to be disappointed when it was another customer.

Almost every day, Maggie would come through the door to see her after school. And she felt a little pierce in her heart when she realized how cruel she must have been the last couple of times. She couldn’t clearly recall, but she could imagine her distance and irritation. What she’d give to take it back. 

Each realization was like a punch to the gut, and she wanted to repair it so badly. But Jamie knew she had to let the whole thing simmer. Couldn’t push it, and she needed to learn to be patient. 

However, that was much too hard. Patience had no place, not with how much the stress was eating her away, so she came up with the perfect solution. Well, not perfect, but it would do. 

After dialing a number and propping the phone between her ear and shoulder, letting her free hands continue with tending to a floral arrangement, she waited for the receiver to pick up. 

“Ted? You think we can do dinner tomorrow instead?”

* * *

One thing that defined Maggie was her art. It was possibly the most important aspect of her life. More than her friends, more than sports, really more than anything. So, to say that night was important was an understatement. And the importance of it all was apparent through her nerves. She looked around the big room, split up to display numerous portfolios for the students who were lucky enough to be selected to participate. And she gulped as she watched all of the people walk in, crowding all around the art. The thought of having to address all of them and speak about herself was daunting. She knew exactly what could make her feel better. 

She let herself grow distracted at the absence of Jamie as she imagined the way she would be reassuring her and making her laugh. She wished her mother was there and wished she hadn’t been so bitter by banishing her from being there. 

Before going to stand by her exhibit of paintings, Maggie looked down at herself and fixed the tuck of her sweater, wiped her pants, and went through the rest of her bout of nervous fidgeting. 

She leaned into Dani for support as she raised her boot to tighten the laces. 

“God there are so many people,” she whispered as she watched all of the people hovering over her portfolio display. 

“All here for you,” Dani smiled as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulder, pulling her in to give her a proud kiss to the head. “Go on now,” she said as she nudged her forward so she’d go tend to the people surrounding her art. 

With one composing inhale Maggie stepped forward, making her way to speak to the many strangers and friends who had come to support her. 

Dani leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as she watched on, smile wide and proud. The way Maggie could go from a puddle of anxiety into a radiant ball of confidence and humor was a joy to see. Impressive too. 

She would be over there herself, but she got prime treatment and heard the entire artist spiel first, once in the car as Maggie was practicing and Dani was coaching her, and another when she presented the actual artwork to her. Which, to put it simply, Dani was gobsmacked when seeing it for the first time. So much so that she hardly heard a word Maggie said because she was so mesmerized by the elaborate, vibrant portraits before her. Maggie was hesitant to show off her work. She’d do so here and there, but she hadn’t really let anyone see them in person to this extent. 

And as Dani stood in the back, watching her daughter’s happiness and passion, she felt like it was cruel that Jamie was missing it. After really understanding how important it all was, the very thought that Jamie wouldn’t see it was devastating. Something she knew Jamie would never forgive herself for. 

She wondered where Jamie was. Wondered if she was elsewhere sulking and upset over her forced absence. Wondered if she was hiding her guilt behind a smile at the dinner that had started the whole mess. Regardless of where she was, or what she was doing, Dani was disappointed that she couldn’t share this moment of satisfaction with her wife. Couldn’t share the burgeoning pride she felt with the other woman who helped her raise that girl into who she was at that very moment. It pained her, not only for Maggie but for herself. 

Maggie bid farewell to the last group of people who were asking her questions, and they turned to leave with their smiles and praise. And once the group dispersed, the now emptier space revealed a grey-haired woman dressed neatly in a maroon jumpsuit. Her hands were in her pockets, and her eyes intently studied the art before her. 

The only sound that filled Maggie’s ears was the thumping in her chest as she tried to confirm if she was really there or not. 

“Mum?” Maggie questioned as she closed the short distance between them, and sure enough, the familiar face turned to look at her. A small, crooked smile formed on her mother’s lips as she pointed her finger before her at the framed canvases. 

“These are,” she shook her head as she was at a loss of words through her astonishment, enough that she was nearly brought to tears. “Amazing, Mags. More than that. The best I’ve ever seen,” she said then she leaned forward with a smirk. “I reckon better than everyone in this room,” she whispered. 

Maggie chuckled tearfully, standing before Jamie. Both of them still for a few moments, unsure if either of them had the place to repair their conflict. Maggie decided she did when she lunged forward to bring Jamie into a warm embrace. Jamie laughed in relief as she held Maggie close to her.

“You came,” Maggie whispered, voice trembling as tears were coming on. 

“You think I’d miss this? I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jamie said following it with a sigh. “I am so sorry, my love.”

“You?” Maggie scoffed. “I’m sorry Mum. I acted like a-like a glorified bitch.” 

“Hey! Language!” Jamie playfully scolded to which they both dissolved into laughter. 

“I don’t ever want to do that again,” Maggie said as she stepped back and wiped at her eyes. “Never again.” 

“I reckon that it is fine by me,” Jamie grinned as she brushed Maggie’s arm with her hand. “No more bickerin’. None of that, you hear?”

“Oh I hear ya,” Maggie smiled. 

“You gonna tell me when you became this big-shot artist, Maggie?” she laughed as she went back to gawking at the art in front of her, a whole bundle of pride filling her. “I mean, I knew you could, but I didn’t think you could do this. I wish you’d show us this more, you know?” 

Maggie nodded and leaned her head on Jamie’s shoulder. “Couldn’t have done it without you, you know?”

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m so proud of you, sprout,” Jamie muttered.

Maggie nuzzled against Jamie as they looked at the paintings together. Jamie admiring them and Maggie thankful for Jamie because she was the one who cheered her on, urged her to do the things she loved no matter how daunting they were. She was there because of Jamie, and Maggie hadn’t had the words to express how much that meant to her. She knew someday she would. One day she’d express her debt to her mother and tell her just how much she meant to her. 

But for that moment, she just went with an arm wrapped around her mother and a content sigh.

“Thank you, Mama.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one took a while, but finals are kicking my ass. I needed a bit of a distraction, so here you go. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, and I’m always interested in prompts for anything. They are very much appreciated actually because I have an itch to write. Just don’t know what about. :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd continue this story because man I can't get over Dani and Jamie being moms.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!


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